Bridging Anthroposophy and Cognitive Science with an Experimental First-Person Method

Although Steiner’s anthroposophy has provided significant impulses for
cultural practice, it has not yet received much attention in current philosophy
and science. Nonetheless, it holds potential for methodological and theoretical
innovation that could yield valuable contributions to mainstream
research, especially with a view on phenomenal consciousness and mental
action. To open up this option, bridges must be built between Steiner’s
writings and empirical research as the supreme discipline of today’s science.
One possibility is to provide a new nexus between philosophy of mind
and experimental psychology focusing on the first-person perspective – as
reminiscent of Steiner’s “introspective observation following the methods
of natural science” in his Philosophy of Freedom. Various first-person methods
have been developed recently, of which the ‘Task-Based Introspective
Inquiry’ seems well suited to the challenge at hand. This approach is historically
contextualized, briefly outlined, illustrated by examples of recent studies,
and discussed in terms of Steiner and related academic research. In this
way, specific forms of mental activity and respective agentive awareness are
elaborated upon, which can clarify the topicality of Steiner’s basic structure
of consciousness and his idea of freedom, both of which are based on his
stratified conception of the human being.

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