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Rudolf Steiner

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Philosopher

The Resume

    (February 25, 1861-March 30, 1925)
    Born in Murakilaly, Austria-Hungary (now Donji Kraljevec, Croatia)
    Philosopher, spiritualist, social reformer and architect
    Named head of the Theosophical Society for Germany and Austria (1902)
    Broke away to form the Anthroposophical Society (1913)
    Wrote 'The Philosophy of Freedom' (1894), 'Cosmic Memory' (1904), 'The Education of the Child' (1907), 'The Renewal of the Social Organism' (1919) and 'Fundamentals of Therapy' (1925)
    Designed 13 buildings, including the Goetheanum (1913)
    Founded the first Steiner school (1919)

Why he might be annoying:

    He claimed to be clairvoyant, having first seen spirits of the dead when he was seven.
    He believed in Atlantis, Lemuria, astrology, alchemy, ghosts and gnomes.
    He said, 'The brain and nervous system have nothing at all to do with cognition' and 'The teeth are the most important of all organs of thought.'
    He claimed that reincarnated souls traveled through different racial stages, with African races lower than Asian races and European races the highest form. ('The white race is the future, the race that's spiritually creative.')
    He insisted on making lefties use their right hand because 'children will become idiots through left-handedness.'

Why he might not be annoying:

    Before he graduated college, he was hired as the natural science editor for a new edition of Goethe's works.
    He lost a job as a magazine editor for supporting Emile Zola during the Dreyfus Affair.
    He called anti-semites 'enemies of culture.'
    After the Munich Beer Hall Putsch (1923), he left Germany, warning of disaster if HItler and the Nazis gained power.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 14 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 9 Votes: 77.78% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 3 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 12 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 5 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 22 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 15 Votes: 53.33% Annoying