Waldorf Schools Teach Odd Science, Odd Evolution
© 1994 Eugenie C. Scott
National Center for Science Education
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According to an article in the Milwaukee Journal
magazine, "Wisconsin," the Waldorf program is "the largest and
fastest growing non-sectarian school movement in the world."
(1/12/92, p. 16) The vast majority are private schools, but
Milwaukee, WI, has instituted a public Waldorf school as one of a
series of experiments to try to improve student performance. Other
school districts are exploring the idea, and NCSE members should be
familiar with what may be in store for science education in this
setting.
Waldorf Schools are based on the writings of Rudolf Steiner, the 19th
century founder of "anthroposophy." Anthroposophy is an outgrowth of
the theosophical movement popular in the early 20th century, a
"spiritual" approach to philosophy. The Waldorf approach is infused
with "spirituality", which in some treatments becomes a hazy version
of religion. Religious people consider it objectionable because it
undermines religion by not going far enough: in effect substituting a
mushy sense of the supernatural for religion. Nonreligious people are
offended because Waldorf quasi-religious "spirituality" is so clearly
religious!
The Waldorf approach includes some ideas that many educators would
consider attractive. It is a "developmental" approach to education,
in which the individual student's emotional and intellectual
development is considered in the development of curricula. One
teacher stays with a group of students for several years. The
approach integrates art and music into the everyday curriculum,
rather than treating them as "specialties" taught irregularly. There
is much manual manipulation; a typical Waldorf activity, for example,
is knitting, for both boys and girls. Students learn a foreign
language in elementary school. Creativity is given emphasis over rote
learning.
But if schools follow Steiner's views on science, education will
suffer. Steiner believed that materialism was insufficient for the
understanding of nature. He believed that science needs to "go
beyond" the empirical and consider vitalistic, unobservable forces, a
perspective also common in 20th century New Age healing approaches.
Anthroposophical medicine, similar to homeopathy but even less
scientific, claims that disease is caused only secondarily by
malfunctions of chemistry and biology, and primarily by a disturbance
of the "vital essence." Anatomy and physiology a la Steiner are
unrecognizable by modern scientists: the heart does not pump blood;
there are 12 senses ("touch, life, movement, equilibrium, warmth,
smell," etc.) corresponding to signs of the zodiac; there is a
"rhythmic" system that mediates between the "nerve-sense" and
"metabolic-muscular" systems. Physics and chemistry are just as bad:
the "elements" are earth, air, fire, and water. The four "kingdoms of
nature" are mineral, plant, animal and man. Color is said to be the
result of the conflict of light and darkness. Typical geological
stages are Post-Atlantis, Atlantis, Mid-Lemuria, and Lemuria.
Waldorf teachers are supposed to teach Steinerian evolution. In this
view, species were specially created, rather than evolving from one
another, and "spiritual beings were the creators." "Let us start from
the point that the gods, or the divine spiritual beings, decided to
create the world and man. For this we have a good authority in the
first chapter of the first book of the Bible." (all quotes from a
teachers' training manual by Roy Wilkinson, Man and Animal, The
Robinswood Press, Stourbridge, England, 1990, p. 2-3, provided
courtesy of NCSE member Dan Dugan.)
The Waldorf version of evolution is especially concerned with the
relationship of humans to animals, but this relationship is quite
different from that of mainline evolutionists. "It becomes apparent
that man is a compendium of the animal kingdom; alternatively
expressed, that the animal kingdom is the human being spread out."
The human "essence" passed through a number of "spiritual states" on
the way to becoming human, which was a relatively recent event. "Dr.
Steiner considers animals to be the by-products of human development.
Man has been involved from the beginning but not in a physical form.
Man existed spiritually and the animal forms represent physically
incarnated soul forces which the human being had to dispense with in
order to mature sufficiently to receive the ego. ... As in life ...
we are trying to overcome the lower passions to evolve to something
higher, so throughout evolution, the passions were separated out from
man and these were incorporated as animals."
"We see then that man is not the result of animal evolution but that
he is at the beginning of it and is central to it. Indeed he is the
cause of it. The animal world represents soul qualities which the
human being has discarded although he still retains remnants of
them."
Steiner's teachings on race are also unscientific. Books authored by
Steiner that are still being sold at Waldorf schools make claims such
that "If the blonds and blue-eyed people die out, the human race will
become increasingly dense if men do not arrive at a form of
intelligence that is independent of blondness." (written in 1922.)
Waldorf schools tend to have a touchy-feely atmosphere that we don't
usually associate with White Aryan Resistance doctrine, so it is not
likely that racist propaganda of this sort is being taught, but it is
not at all clear that proponents of Steiner's philosophy have
publicly repudiated such views. Something upon which aficionados of
Steiner's philosophy should reflect is that if he was so dead wrong
about genetics and racial variation in general, couldn't he also be
in error regarding other supposedly "scientific" teachings?
NCSE would be interested in hearing from our members about the
expansion of the Waldorf movement in the US. To what degree is
Steiner's philosophy taught, as opposed to his methods, some of which
may be useful? One NCSE member, Dan Dugan, investigated the Waldorf
school his son attended and found that although teachers claimed that
only Steinerian methods were used, the pseudoscientific content of
Steiner's views also crept into the curriculum.
Surely there is value in an educational system that promotes
spontaneity, creativity, expressive arts, and enthusiasm in children,
but such an approach should not denigrate a more materialistic,
scientific way of knowing, which has proven its usefulness. Both are
necessary for good education.
(reproduced by permission)
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