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The Fourth Dimension

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The point, line, plane and solid objects represent the first three dimensions, but a kind of reversal of space is involved in the ascent to a fourth dimension. Steiner leads us to the brink of this new perspective—as nearly as it can be done with words, diagrams, analogies, and examples of many kinds. In doing so, he continues his lifelong project of demonstrating that our objective, everyday thinking is the lowest rung of a ladder that reaches up to literally infinite heights. The talks in this series and the selections from the question-and-answer sessions on many mathematical topics over the years are translated into English for the first time in The Fourth Dimension. They bring us to tantalizing new horizons of awareness where Steiner hoped to lead his listeners.

263 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2001

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About the author

Rudolf Steiner

4,224 books1,060 followers
Author also wrote under the name Rudolph Steiner.

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...


Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner was an Austrian occultist, social reformer, architect, esotericist, and claimed clairvoyant. Steiner gained initial recognition at the end of the nineteenth century as a literary critic and published works including The Philosophy of Freedom. At the beginning of the twentieth century he founded an esoteric spiritual movement, anthroposophy, with roots in German idealist philosophy and theosophy. His teachings are influenced by Christian Gnosticism or neognosticism. Many of his ideas are pseudoscientific. He was also prone to pseudohistory.
In the first, more philosophically oriented phase of this movement, Steiner attempted to find a synthesis between science and spirituality. His philosophical work of these years, which he termed "spiritual science", sought to apply what he saw as the clarity of thinking characteristic of Western philosophy to spiritual questions,  differentiating this approach from what he considered to be vaguer approaches to mysticism. In a second phase, beginning around 1907, he began working collaboratively in a variety of artistic media, including drama, dance and architecture, culminating in the building of the Goetheanum, a cultural centre to house all the arts. In the third phase of his work, beginning after World War I, Steiner worked on various ostensibly applied projects, including Waldorf education, biodynamic agriculture, and anthroposophical medicine.
Steiner advocated a form of ethical individualism, to which he later brought a more explicitly spiritual approach. He based his epistemology on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's world view in which "thinking…is no more and no less an organ of perception than the eye or ear. Just as the eye perceives colours and the ear sounds, so thinking perceives ideas." A consistent thread that runs through his work is the goal of demonstrating that there are no limits to human knowledge.

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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
Profile Image for Bruce.
262 reviews40 followers
June 26, 2011
This mostly a very concise presentation of different ways to visualize the fourth dimension, with some fascinating esoterica thrown in. Slow going but very good. I finally understand why if you head off in one direction in spacetime you eventually come back the other side.

Like a lot of Steiner books, this is a collection of notes other people took at his lectures (given in German), organized by topic. So there are some filters between the reader and Steiner's thoughts.
Profile Image for Jacob Fure.
14 reviews1 follower
April 29, 2016
This book really gets you thinking deeply about the nature of reality, dimensions, consciousness and another phenomenon. I read the book in 2 days because it was just mesmerizing information. Steiner provides pictures and diagrams to help you understand this complex topic and it really is a fantastic read.

I would love to read this again soon.
Profile Image for Tarquin Namaste.
8 reviews2 followers
September 1, 2016
A magnificent insight into Mathematics, Alchemy and Geometry with one of his seminal works. A series of lectures carried out around Europe mainly on the ideas of Mathematics and Spirituality.
Profile Image for Zdenek Sykora.
435 reviews20 followers
December 28, 2024
The Fourth Dimension: Sacred Geometry, Alchemy & Mathematics by Rudolf Steiner is an intellectually stimulating exploration of profound concepts that bridge science, spirituality, and esotericism. Steiner delves into the intricate relationships between sacred geometry, alchemical processes, and the mathematical foundations of higher dimensions, offering a unique perspective that challenges conventional thinking. This book is both thought-provoking and deeply insightful, a perfect read for those drawn to uncovering the deeper mysteries of the universe. A must-have for anyone interested in Steiner’s work or the interplay between science and the esoteric.
Profile Image for Nicole.
286 reviews48 followers
March 5, 2018
Dense reading and a need to be in the right headspace to wrap around the concepts and ideas.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews

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