The two pillars of learning 

The two pillars of learning - observation and thinking

"Observation and thinking are the two points of departure for all the spiritual (thinking, learning) striving of humankind, in so far as each of us is aware of such striving.  The workings of common sense, as well as the most complicated scientific researches, rest on these two fundamental pillars of our spirit" (Ch.3 of Philosophy of Freedom by Rudolf Steiner)

We come to a place in the book where we understand that the basis of our consciousness, the key to unlocking our conscious learning process is a combination of observation and thinking.  That is how our consciousness begins and how it works, that is how we are as human beings. 

In the Philosophy of Freedom workbook, we are invited to think out and test this founding statement in our own study laboratory or thinking lab.  

Thinking laboratory testing

I frame my question:

Do 'observation' and 'thinking’ serve as the fundamental starting point and basis of all human conscious learning? 

As a learning human, this is a question about the workings of my own inner consciousness.  Can I observe my inner consciousness and think about it so that I can answer this question with certainty?

Thinking experiment:  I turn my attention to my inner processes, slow things down and stretch it out over time, can I discern observation and thinking operating in my consciousness?  I ask myself, can I know anything, express a view of any kind, undertake any kind of science, other than through observation and thinking? 

Further test:  I test this against another example of a proposed starting point (from Ch.3) I choose matter and concept.  I imagine that this, rather than observation and thinking, is the underlying starting point for understanding and explaining anything,  that matter and concept are the two pillars of learning - and I think it through.  When I consider this polarity of matter and concept, what is my inner experience, what am I 'doing'?  I am looking at it and thinking it through, it feels as though I am thinking 'concept and matter' somewhere in front of me, on my ‘screen’ – I don’t feel fully connected to this process of 'matter and concept' which I am observing on my screen...what am I doing?  I am examining the concepts of 'matter' and 'spirit', and I can realize that these concepts have already been produced by thinking.  Yet, I am in this thinking test actually observing these concepts of matter and concept, and thinking them as I test them, so thinking and observing are in place and active as a starting point, already, right now – before I can test out matter and concept - this connects me to the experiment as an experimenter, I am thinking and observing as I carry out the experiment, that is a fact, I am connecting directly with this question from my observing and thinking starting point.

Thinking exercise on Observation

We can take an excerpt from Chapter 3, where our attention is turned from thinking to observation, and let ourselves be guided by the organic thinking of Steiner to our own understanding of observation.

“In the occurrence of the world phenomena, thinking may play a minor part; but in the forming of a view about them, there can be no doubt that its part is a leading one... As for observation, our need of it is due to the way we are constituted.  Our thinking about a horse and the object ‘horse’ are two things which for us emerge apart from each other.  This object is accessible to us only by means of observation.  As little as we can form a concept of a horse by merely staring at the animal, just as little are we able by mere thinking to produce a corresponding object. In sequence of time, observation does in fact come before thinking.  For even thinking we must get to know first through observation.  It was essentially a description of observation when, at the beginning of this chapter, we gave an account of how thinking lights up in the presence of an event and goes beyond what is merely presented.  Everything that enters the circle of our experience, we first become aware of through observation.  The content of sensation, perception and contemplation, all feelings, acts of will, dreams and fancies, mental pictures, concepts and ideas, all illusions and hallucinations, are given to us through observation.”    

If I manage to grasp the meaning of the words, and let the ideas flow into my receptive consciousness in order, can I create, faithfully, precisely this train of thought in my inner being?  Can I create it for the first time in me, really think it myself, rather than re-phrasing, paraphrasing, reproducing or parroting? 

If I manage, it will create an inner experience in me.  As I become more practiced in creating it, can I begin to 'expand out' a bit from the creation process, and observe the thoughts as they emerge, and how this is creating sensations or feelings in me?

Having gone through this process very thoroughly, can I begin to create for myself a conceptual path to 'finding' observation where it is hidden in my consciousness?  If I can this will allow me to put it into practice and develop it for the task ahead…the special case of observing thinking.

What emerges in me from working through this text is a feeling of 'myself' in the 'centre' of a movement between the observation and thinking elements of my conscious being.  I place myself firmly in that centre and I 'look out' over the observed world (I can even close my eyes, be aware of my 'inside' and open them to be aware of the 'outside')...I ‘see’ by thinking, that this 'world' that appears as observed objects, is part of my divided consciousness, things appear to me separately, as an object of observation, and as an experience of thoughts about the object. I experience an outer world and the activity of my own thinking in my inner being.   I first connect to the world experience by a given observation - a horse appears in my consciousness.  If I just stare, I will not be able to perceive' the concepts of the horse, for that I have to be active in thinking and be aware of and verify the corresponding concepts.  By thinking alone, I cannot create the experience of the horse confronting me as an object of observation. 

From the text, I experience how the two states of 'observation' and 'thinking' are separate, each is necessary, neither can stand in for or replace the other.  I can feel my thinking 'moving' between these two states in order to become aware of them and to 'check' that what I have written above is a truthful description of 'how it is' in my conscious experience, they appear that way within me, that is what makes up my human conscious experience, but in reality I can discern that they are not two separated worlds, they are connected by my presence as an observer, and I myself connect the inner and outer experience as a thinker.  I am active and aware of the connection between world and inner experience as a thinker.

“An event or an object which is merely observed, does not of itself reveal anything about its connection with other events or objects.  This connection becomes evident only when observation is combined with thinking.” (Ch.3 Philosophy of Freedom by Rudolf Steiner)

My understanding of the world comes from combining, or uniting thinking and observation, so I wonder, how are these two very different and separately appearing things 'united' in me?  This brings me to an awareness of myself as a living centre of this polarity, like a being with two hands holding out two things, and an ‘I’ which looks from one to the other, and brings them together in my centre, where I can name one thing, a horse.  I begin to realize that observation and thinking are two polarities of our being, vastly different and poles apart, and yet we operate with them all the time even if we are not fully conscious of it.  We are solving the philosophical problem of duality in ourselves all the time.  How can we discern observation without thinking, thinking makes us aware of ourselves connected to the observation, and how can thinking occur without an observation to think about?  How do these things come together to make a key to unlocking learning?

Then I begin to see that first, through 'observation' something enters my consciousness, I think about it, and in that act, the content of every aspect of my thinking, (feeling, willing etc)  is made known to me, is 'given' to me through an 'observation' process;  if I don't observe it, I don't think it, if I don't think it I am not aware of my thinking   Whatever enters my consciousness has to be 'observable', whether as a concept, a dream, a colour, a point of view...or I will not be conscious of it or of myself.

From a thorough working through of all that is written  I can begin to identify two 'aspects' of observation, which I choose to call the ‘container’ and the ‘content’ of observation.  The 'container' has an opening for being in contact with the world, for receiving an observation content:  it 'holds' a space, it is empty but actively alert and attentive, actively creating space for the coming content.   The 'content' when it comes, is all that there is to 'behold', all the content of my various thinking, feeling and willing activity, about myself, about the world...I can consciously form and hold an observation space,  a kind of 'chalice' of observation which is empty and fillable.

An Individual conceptualization of ‘observation’

I want to build my own conceptual path towards identifying and creating the state observation in myself, which I can practice as I observe the world, and as I get ready to observe thinking.

1. State of readiness (‘container’) cleaning and preparing the thinking laboratory: quiet, calm, still, attentive, open a space, accept not to know, wait expectantly...
2. Beholding (‘content): being open to observing actively what is before me, as though for the first time and observing thinkingly exactly what is before me  (avoiding as much as possible adding elements from my personal self, such as feelings, opinions, past experiences and associations)....

This is coming back to the idea at the beginning of this post, preparing a ‘laboratory’ which is clean, receptive and equipped with the potential for thinking.

Observing Thinking

If I want to become aware of my thinking, I must observe it.  In Chapter 3, we become aware through careful verifiable thinking, that we do not in our ordinary everyday consciousness, observe our thinking, and we know why.  Our individual thinking is definitely connected to each of us, is some kind of activity of ours (if I do not think, nobody will think for me), yet strangely, we humans do not generally observe it, what it is, how it is, where it comes from.   Our thinking is in ordinary consciousness directed at the observed world, and not on itself.  There is a strong invitation and preparation in Chapter 3 for beginning to observe our thinking.   Preparing our understanding and practice of observation is a first step.