The holistic paradigm, Gaia, deep ecology, and new alchemy
all have a hidden ancestor: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749?832).

At the young age of twenty-one, Rudolf Steiner was chosen
to edit Goethe's scientific writings for the principle Geothe
edition of his time. Goethe's literary genius was universally
acknowledged; it was Steiner's task to understand and
comment on Goethe's scientific achievements. Steiner
recognized the significance of Goethe's work with nature
and his epistemology, and here began Steiner's own
training in epistemology and spiritual science.

This collection of Steiner's introductions to Goethe's
works re-visions the meaning of knowledge and how
we attain it. Goethe had discovered how thinking
could be applied to organic nature and that this
experience requires not just rational concepts
but a whole new way of perceiving.

In an age when science and technology have been
linked to great catastrophes, many are looking for
new ways to interact with nature. With a fundamental
declaration of the interpenetration of our consciousness
and the world around us, Steiner shows how Goethe's
approach points the way to a more compassionate and
intimate involvement with nature.

Contents:

• 1. Introduction by John Barnes
• 2. The Origin of Goethe's Concept of Metamorphosis
• 3. The Origin of Goethe's Thinking on Animal Morphology
• 4. The Nature & Significance of Goethe's Writings on Organic Morphology
• 5. Goethe's Way of Knowing
• 6. Concluding Remarks on Goethe's Morphology
• 7. The Arrangement of Goethe's Scientific Writings
• 8. From Art to Science
• 9. Goethe's Theory of Knowledge
• 10. Knowledge & Action in the Light of Goethe's Ideas
• 11. Goethe's Way of Thinking Compared to Other Views
• 12. Goethe and Mathematics
• 13. Goethe's Fundamental Geological Principle
• 14. Goethe's Meteorological Ideas
• 15. On the Subjectivity of Sensory Perceptions
• 16. Goethe As Thinker & Researcher
• 17. Goethe versus Atomism
• 18. Goethe's Worldview in His Verses in Prose
• Essay by John Barnes:articipatory Science As the Basis for
  a Healing Culture?
• Bibliography & Further Reading

Nature's Open Secret is a translation of
Goethes Naturwissenschaftliche Schriften, Einleitungen, (1884-1897).
A previous translation was entitled Goethe the Scientist.