Overview

This book challenges previous definitions of modernity by comparing Max Weber (1864–1920), often considered the most important sociologist of the 20th century, and Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925), founder of Waldorfpädagogik and the esoteric social reform movement of anthroposophy. While acknowledging that Weber and Steiner were different in several respects, this research illustrates that the individual histories of these two thinkers are more entangled than previously recognized. This includes the influence of esotericism on their thinking, as well as their profound concern with science and technological change and an openness to the religious and philosophical concepts of the civilizations of South and East Asia. Demonstrating the importance of non-European influences for a full understanding of modernity, this book will be a valuable resource for students and scholars of Asian and European philosophy, social theory, and Asian society.

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9781032566382

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Reviews

""In this thoroughly researched and well-written book, Aaron French dares the unthinkable: He presents Max Weber as strongly influenced by spiritual and esoteric ideas and practices, and Rudolf Steiner as a participant in rational philosophical debate. By comparing and linking these two exponents of seemingly contradictory intellectual traditions, French demonstrates the flaws of simple narratives of secularization, rationalization, and disenchantment in 'European modernity'; moreover, he makes a compelling case for the importance of esoteric discourses in the formation of contemporary global philosophies."" Kocku von Stuckrad, University of Groningen ""French’s book is clear, erudite, and ambitious. An important addition to the literature on early-twentieth-century European intellectual history, it strides far beyond simplistic binaries to map a complex ecosystem of cultural and intellectual influences."" Donovan O. Schaefer, University of Pennsylvania ""Although Max Weber and Rudolf Steiner are rarely examined together, by situating both within a shared intellectual milieu, Aaron French exposes fractures in the binary logics of traditional accounts of rationality and irrationality. This work unearths the submerged currents—esotericism, disenchantment, and spiritualism—that traverse and disrupt the ostensibly coherent fabric of European intellectual history. A thought-provoking work, it invites readers to reconsider the complexities of 'modernity' and the often-overlooked ideas that shaped it."" Jason Ānanda Josephson Storm, Williams College

""In this thoroughly researched and well-written book, Aaron French dares the unthinkable: He presents Max Weber as strongly influenced by spiritual and esoteric ideas and practices, and Rudolf Steiner as a participant in rational philosophical debate. By comparing and linking these two exponents of seemingly contradictory intellectual traditions, French demonstrates the flaws of simple narratives of secularization, rationalization, and disenchantment in 'European modernity'; moreover, he makes a compelling case for the importance of esoteric discourses in the formation of contemporary global philosophies."" Kocku von Stuckrad, author of Nach der Ausbeutung: Wie unser Verhältnis zur Erde gelingen kann (After Exploitation: How We Can Build a Healthy Relationship with the Earth)

Author Information

Aaron French is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Erfurt, Germany, and at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

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