Steiner occasionally characterized specific races, nations and ethnicities in ways that have been deemed racist by critics.[314] This includes descriptions by him of certain races and ethnic groups as flowering, others as backward, or destined to removed or disappear.[313] He presented explicitly hierarchical views of the spiritual evolution of different races,[315] including—at times, and inconsistently—portraying the white race, European culture or Germanic culture as representing the high point of human evolution as of the early 20th century, although he did describe them as destined to be superseded by future cultures.[313]
Comment on History of Biodynamics
kkj@lemmy.dbzer0.com 22 hours ago
I get that it’s woo (e.g. burying quartz crystals stuffed inside a cow horn), but I don’t see any racism. Care to elaborate?
Spongebobsquarejuche@hexbear.net 21 hours ago
prettybunnys@piefed.social 21 hours ago
I “found” this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Steiner_and_race
waz@feddit.uk 21 hours ago
I’ve never read that before, doesn’t appear racist , even opposing racism in much of the text.
prettybunnys@piefed.social 21 hours ago
One of his beliefs was that Judaism still existing was a failure to assimilate.
goldenbug@fedia.io 21 hours ago
I'd say this was pretty on the nose
idiomaddict@lemmy.world 18 hours ago
This bit feels very reminiscent of the “kill the Indian to save the man” type of racism that led to residential schools. Sure, he may not have thought there was an immutable negative quality associated with race, but he seems to have been a cultural supremacist.
Given that we now know that race isn’t real, I struggle to see the actual difference.
piccolo@sh.itjust.works 21 hours ago
Sounds like he held racist ideals, that were very influenced by scientific racism. But also contradicting himself as his other ideals of human individuality clashed with his own racism, so at times he ‘seemed opposed’ to racism.
waz@feddit.uk 21 hours ago
I read all of the wiki article, not just the quoted parts.