Editing Anthroposophy (section)

==Social goals==
{{Main|Social Threefolding}}
For a period after World War I, Steiner was extremely active and well known in Germany, in part because he lectured widely proposing social reforms. Steiner was a sharp critic of [[nationalism]], which he saw as outdated, and a proponent of achieving social solidarity through individual freedom.<ref name="Essential" /> A petition proposing a radical change in the German constitution and expressing his basic social ideas (signed by [[Hermann Hesse]], among others) was widely circulated. His main book on social reform is ''Toward Social Renewal''.<ref name="Essential" />

Anthroposophy continues to aim at reforming society through maintaining and strengthening the independence of the spheres of [[culture|cultural life]], [[human rights]] and the [[economy]]. It emphasizes a particular ideal in each of these three realms of society:<ref name="Essential" />
* Liberty in cultural life
* [[Equality before the law|Equality]] of [[rights]], the sphere of [[legislation]]
* Fraternity in the economic sphere

According to Cees Leijenhorst, "Steiner outlined his vision of a new political and social philosophy that avoids the two extremes of capitalism and socialism."<ref name="Hanegraaff Faivre van den Broek Brach 2005 p. 1090">{{Cite book |last=Leijenhorst |first=Cees |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HCUOAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA1090 |title=Dictionary of Gnosis & Western Esotericism: I |publisher=Brill |year=2005 |isbn=978-90-04-14187-2 |editor-last=Hanegraaff |editor-first=Wouter J. |page=1090 |quote=Steiner outlined his vision of a new political and social philosophy that avoids the two extremes of capitalism and socialism. |access-date=2 January 2024 |editor-last2=Faivre |editor-first2=Antoine |editor-last3=Broek |editor-first3=Roelof van den |editor-last4=Brach |editor-first4=Jean-Pierre}}</ref>

Steiner did influence Italian Fascism, which exploited "his racial and anti-democratic dogma."<ref name="Pilkington Sutcliffe 2023 p. 194">{{Cite book |last=Hill |first=Chris |title=Strange Attractor Journal Five |publisher=MIT Press |year=2023 |isbn=978-1-907222-52-8 |editor-last=Pilkington |editor-first=Mark |page=194 |chapter='Gustavo Who?' &mdash; Notes Towards the Life and Times of Gustavo Rol; Putative Mage and Cosmic 'Drainpipe' |access-date=1 November 2023 |editor-last2=Sutcliffe |editor-first2=Jamie |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YMFNEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA194}}</ref> The fascist ministers [[Giovanni Antonio Colonna di Cesarò]]<ref name="c227">{{cite book | last=Baroni | first=Francesco | editor-last=Bogdan | editor-first=Henrik | editor-last2=Djurdjevic | editor-first2=Gordan | title=Occultism in a Global Perspective | publisher=Taylor & Francis | series=Approaches to new religions | year=2014 | isbn=978-1-317-54447-0 | chapter=Occultism and Christianity in twentieth-century Italy. Tommaso Palamidessi's Christian magic | chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y15_BAAAQBAJ&pg=PA104 | access-date=17 November 2024 | page=104}}</ref> (nicknamed "the Anthroposophist duke"; he became antifascist after taking part in [[Benito Mussolini]]'s government<ref name="peter">{{Cite book |last=Staudenmaier |first=Peter |title=Esotericism, Religion, and Politics |publisher=New Cultures Press |year=2012 |isbn=978-1596500136 |editor-last=Versluis |editor-first=Arthur |location=Minneapolis, MN |pages=83–84 |chapter=Anthroposophy in Fascist Italy |editor-last2=Irwin |editor-first2=Lee |editor-last3=Phillips |editor-first3=Melinda}}</ref>) and Ettore Martinoli have openly expressed their sympathy for Rudolf Steiner.<ref name="Pilkington Sutcliffe 2023 p. 194" /> Most from the occult pro-fascist [[UR Group]] were Anthroposophists.{{sfn|Staudenmaier|2014|p=271}}<ref name="turris">{{Cite magazine |last=Turris |first=Gianfranco de |title=L'Esoterismo Italiano degli anni Venti: il Gruppo di Ur, tra Magia e Super Fascismo |url=https://zdocs.mx/doc/abstracta-de-turris-le1225kj971v |magazine=Abstracta |publication-date=June 1987 |authorlink=Gianfranco de Turris |number=16 |series=II |lang=it}}</ref><ref name="beraldo">{{Cite book |last=Beraldo |first=Michele |title=Esoterismo e fascismo: storia, interpretazioni, documenti |publisher=Edizioni mediterranee |year=2006 |isbn=978-88-272-1831-0 |editor-last=Turris |editor-first=Gianfranco de |page=83 |language=it |chapter=L'Antroposofia e il suo rapporto con il Regime Fascista |access-date=11 December 2023 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3pgrCbVilI8C}}</ref>

According to Egil Asprem, "Steiner's teachings had a clear authoritarian ring, and developed a rather crass polemic against 'materialism', 'liberalism', and cultural 'degeneration'. [...] For example, anthroposophical medicine was developed to contrast with the 'materialistic' (and hence 'degenerate') medicine of the establishment."{{sfn|Asprem|2018|p=494}}