Rudolf Steiner

Born in 1861 in what is now Croatia, Rudolf Steiner was an Austrian-born writer, lecturer, and founder of anthroposophy, a spiritual philosophy he said could unite scientific thinking with inner experience. He studied in Vienna, worked on editions of Goethe's scientific writings, and first became known through philosophical books including The Philosophy of Freedom.

In the early 20th century, Steiner developed anthroposophy into a broad cultural movement. His ideas helped shape Waldorf education, biodynamic agriculture, new approaches to medicine and the arts, and the design of the Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland, where he spent his later years.

Steiner died in 1925, but his influence has continued through schools, farms, study groups, and artistic communities around the world. He remains a fascinating and controversial figure, remembered both for the scope of his imagination and for the lasting institutions connected to his work.