The Human Constitution
as an Instrument of Research 

Autumn Conference of the
Natural Science Section
at the Goetheanum
October 8 – 11, 2026

In his introduction to Goethe’s scientific writings, Rudolf Steiner describes how the human being engages in research out of an inner need of the soul. Over the course of the modern era, research has become more detached from human sensory perception, and thinking more abstract. Researchers sought an “objective” external viewpoint, and gradually excluded inner, soul-based experience. As immense as the progress of scientific knowledge has been, it's led to a profound loss of meaning, both for the world and the human being. A Goethean-anthroposophical approach offers the possibility to reconnect instrument-based, technically documented research with the human being. Consciously turning towards the constitution of our own senses is a first step in this direction.

The child initially develops a relationship to their physical body through their sense of life, balance, self-movement, and touch. As their hands become free, they begin to truely “grasp” the world: their sense of warmth, sight, smell, and taste unfold a rich world of sensations and feelings. Finally, the child learns to engage their sense of hearing, speech, thought, and the ‘I’, which form the basis for thinking. With the development of self-awareness, an awareness of the world simultaneously arises.

What the child develops unconsciously, Goethe proposed as a model for the scientist who must respect and employ the senses consciously. The development of new sense capacities begins with immersion in natural processes – for example, by following the growth of a plant over time. In this process, it becomes apparent that the development of the plant is not an object we merely stand opposite to. Our thinking must participate in the imaginal aspect of nature and, through many observations, inwardly recreate a dynamic image of the living plant – one that goes beyond intellectual knowledge. The living consciousness through which we experience plant vitality within our etheric organisation is referred to as imaginative consciousness.

Spiritual activity awakens within our soul, allowing us to experience the inner aspect of nature. We are fully human in the world when our senses unfold their activity within body, soul, and spirit. The world becomes alive in our consciousness not just in what it has become but in its ongoing becoming.

We warmly invite you to join our annual Autumn Conference from October 8 to 11, 2026, to engage in dialogue on this theme and to actively contribute with your perspectives, work, and research presentations.