When Healing Becomes Educating, Vol. 2 - Waldorf Research Institute

organization indicates that, to use Cramer’s words, every form of matter is
pregnant with ideas.
The idea of human consciousness and every form this may take
is potentially present. From this point of view, spirit and matter
are not in opposition. In any case, spirit cannot have evolved
from matter as a superstructure, but rather the opposite: There
is no idea-less matter without an idea of its self-organization, just
as there is no matter that is not subject to gravity. Ideas (in the
Platonic sense) can exist without matter; all they need to manifest
(which is different from latent existence) is for matter to be
present. 17
These statements made by Friedrich Cramer might lead us to assume
that chaos theory will indeed be able to bridge the gap between natural and
spiritual science, and that it might be a sign that in the sciences humanity
is finding its way through the physical world and back to the world of the
spirit, i.e., able to develop a science of life. If we take a closer look, however,
it will be evident that this approach, too, will not enable us to gain insight
into the realm of life.
Spiritual science with its new concepts must create the bridge between
natural and spiritual science. If this fails to happen, the danger is that
instead of scientists rising to the next level, the sphere of life, the laws of
that sphere will be dragged down into the physical realm, cutting off access
to the realm of the spirit. Chaos theory will make it possible to create a
synthetic world that is similar to the natural world. Molecular computers
with learning capacity and homoid robots will be developed, and it will
become increasingly more difficult to distinguish between semblance and
reality, particularly as semblance holds enormous fascination.
The diametrically opposed approaches of scientists working with chaos
theory reflect a key aspect of the present age. They also indicate the need for
a completely new approach.
Chaos theory also shows that science is reaching boundaries. Scientists
are knocking on the door to the sphere of life. They are, however, unable
to enter this sphere with their thoughts. Those who see self-organization
of matter as the creative principle are ultimately tied to the modern way
of thinking that takes its orientation from the realm of matter. They base
themselves on a concept of matter that has no connection with the realm
of the spirit. Those who relate to the ideas of the ancient Greek nature
philosophers instinctively know and feel that a powerful creative principle is
active on the boundaries of modern science and that the modern scientific
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