All of these definitions are provisional and will be worked on and improved during the writing of the book. Feedback on the definitions would be especially welcome. They are essentially a collection of all of the elements that, only when taken as whole, entail the book’s essence (see metaphysics – what things are). Therefore this is no mere catalogue of isolated words and meanings. It requires a consideration of relationships, of the building of bridges, between multiple languages – Ancient Greek and German in particular – as well as between the technical languages (see dialectic – how we communicate what we know) of the many different academic disciplines of science and philosophy, not to forget Anthroposophy (see moral philosophy – what we do) and the contemporary English of everyday communication – each use different words to indicate the same or closely related ideas, but many may use the same words to indicate different ideas (see metaphysics – what things things are). The compilation of this glossary therefore has entailed the exploration of many different but connected concepts from a multiplicity of different perspectives, and to attempt to unify them all. This process is therefore bringing about unexpected new insights into concepts I have previously taken for granted (see knowledge – epistemology or how we know things). To understand the nature of substance I believe it is necessary to go beyond the mainstream academic limits of physics and philosophy to include a critical consideration of not only being as such but also of spiritual beings, as interpreted by Steiner and others (see theology). I have also taken the liberty of introducing the subject of physis, the Ancient Greek word for nature, or natural philosophy, which especially since the nineteenth century has been reduced to physics. However, for the Greek philosophers, it also encompassed living nature. I believed it important to find such a word to unite physics and biology, as was Steiner’s wish [see references in his third science course and also the writings of Adams…]. The sixth part of the glossary contains short biographies of each of the people who were responsible for many of the ideas to be found in this book. They were (and are) from wide and varied backgrounds and their inclusion does not in any way indicate they would agree with what I have written. That is my responsibility – trying build bridges with firm foundations between their different ideas in an attempt find reality.
Index
- Air; See physis.
- Alchemy; See moral philosophy.
- Alpha particle radiation; See physis.
Anaxagoras[To be removed?]; See people.Anaximander[To be removed?]; See people.Anaximenes[To be removed?]; See people.- Ancient Greek philosophy; See moral philosophy.
- Anthroposophy; See moral philosophy.
- Aristotle; See people.
- Atom; See physis.
- Baranger; See people.
- Baumgartner, Stephan; See people.
- Being; See metaphysics.
- Biberian; See people.
- Biodynamics; See moral philosophy.
- Biological transmutation; See physis.
- Biology (phenomena of life); See physis.
- Biology (science); See moral philosophy.
- Categories; See dialectic.
- Chemistry (phenomena); chemical element, chemical ether, chemical reaction; See physis.
- Chemistry (science); See moral philosophy.
- Cold fusion (phenomenon); See physis.
- Concept; See knowledge.
- Conservation law of mass; See physis.
- Corpuscle; See physis.
- Cosmos; See physis.
- Counterspace; See physis.
- Crookes, William; See people.
- Curie, Marie; See people.
- Descartes; See people.
- Democritus; See people.
- Diogenes Laërtius; See people.
- Earth (classical element); See physis.
- Einstein, Albert; See people.
- Elements; This can either refer to the elemental parts of a whole – either a material whole (see metaphysics), or a non-material whole such as a written account (see dialectic); the four classical elements (see physis); or chemical elements (see physis).
- Empedocles; See people.
- Entity; See metaphysics.
- Epistemology; See knowledge.
- Esotericism; See theology.
- Essence; See metaphysics.
- Etheric; See physis.
- Evidence; See knowledge.
- Existence; See metaphysics.
- Experience; See knowledge.
- Facts; See knowledge.
- Fire; See physis.
- Form; See dialectic for being as one of Aristotle’s ten categories. For Ideal forms see metaphysics.
- Four ethers; See physis.
- Four classical elements; See physis.
- Four fallen ethers; See physis.
- Freundler; See people.
- Geist; See metaphysics.
- Geisteswissenschaft; See moral philosophy.
- Geometry; See metaphysics.
- Goethe; See people.
- Harmony of the spheres; See knowledge.
- Hauschka, Rudolf; See people.
- Heraclitus of Ephesus; See people.
- Herzeele; See people.
- Holism; See knowledge.
- Holleman Stichting (study group); See moral philosophy.
- Holleman, L.W.J. (Wim); See people.
- Humanities; See moral philosophy.
- Idea; For the personal idea developed by our intellect see knowledge; For the Idea seen by our mind see metaphysics.
- Ideal form; See metaphysics.
- Idealism; See knowledge.
- Infinity; See metaphysics.
- Isotope; See physis.
- Kant; See people.
- Kervran; See people.
- Knowledge.
- Kornilova, Alla; See people.
- Kuhn, Thomas; See people.
- Lavoisier; See people.
- Leucippus; See people.
- Material; See physis.
- Living organisms; See physis.
- Materialism; See knowledge.
- Mathematics; See dialectic.
- Matter; See physis.
- Metaphysics.
- Natural philosophy; See moral philosophy.
- Naturalism; See knowledge.
- Nature; See physis.
- Nominalism; See knowledge.
- Non-material; See metaphysics.
- Nous; See metaphysics.
- Nucleus, atomic; See physis.
- Object and subject; See knowledge.
- Objectivity; See knowledge.
- Observer; See knowledge.
- Occult; See theology.
- Ostwald, Wilhelm; See people.
- Ousia; See metaphysics.
- Parmenides; See people.
- Paradigm; See knowledge.
- Particle; See knowledge.
- Particulars; See metaphysics.
- Perspectives; See knowledge.
- Phenomenon; See knowledge.
- Phenomenology; See moral philosophy.
- Pherecydes of Syros; See people.
- Philosophy; See moral philosophy.
- Physics (physical phenomena); See physis.
- Physics (study of physical phenomena); See moral philosophy.
- Physical; See knowledge.
- Pictet; See people.
- Plato; See people.
- Preuss; See people.
- Projective geometry; See metaphysics.
- Pythagoras of Samos; See people.
- Qualitative; See knowledge.
- Quantitative; See knowledge.
- Quantum mechanics; See knowledge.
- Radioactivity; see physis.
- Rationalism; See knowledge.
- Realism; See knowledge.
- Reality; See knowledge.
- Reason; See knowledge.
- Rutherford; See people.
- Schrödinger, Erwin; See people.
- Schrödinger wave equation; See physis.
- Science; See moral philosophy.
- Science, Aristotelian; See moral philosophy.
- Science, biology; See moral philosophy.
- Science, chemistry; See moral philosophy.
- Science, Goethean; See moral philosophy.
- Science, physics; See moral philosophy.
- Science, social; See moral philosophy.
- Science, spiritual; See moral philosophy.
- Scientific method; See moral philosophy.
- Sensory perception; See knowledge.
- Social science; See moral philosophy.
- Socrates; See people.
- Soddy; See people.
- Sophists; See moral philosophy.
- Space (projective geometry); See metaphysics.
- Spessard; See people.
- Spindler; See people.
- Spirit; See metaphysics.
- Spiritual science; See moral philosophy.
- Steiner, Rudolf; See people.
- Subject; See knowledge.
- Subjective; See knowledge.
- Subnatural; See physis.
- Subsensible; See knowledge.
- Substance, chemical; See physis.
- Supernatural; See theology.
- Thales of Miletus; See people.
- Thinking; See knowledge.
- Thomas, Nick; See people.
- Transmutation; See physis.
- Truth; See dialectic and knowledge.
- Unger, Georg; See people.
- Universals; See metaphysics.
- Universe; See physis.
- Vitalism; See physis.
- Vysotskii; See people.
- Water; See physis.
- Whicher, Olive; See people.
- Worldview; See knowledge.
- Zeno of Elea; See people.
Rethinking the Nature of Substance 