Rudolf Steiner's Anthroposophy as a Spiritual Science: A View from the 21st Century

The article attempts to answer the questions: can Rudolf Steiner's anthroposophy be considered a spiritual science? What can be called a spiritual science in general? What criteria for scientificity shape this assessment? What are the current criteria for scientificity? How does anthroposophy correspond to them? What can be done for there to truly be a spiritual science in the world that expands human knowledge beyond the horizons of earthly life? The relevance of the article is due to the lack of comprehensive research on anthroposophy as a spiritual science based on advanced scientific criteria, especially regarding the methodology of science, as well as the fact that a comprehensive philosophical understanding of the role of anthroposophy for current, not ephemeral, spiritual scientific research has yet to be produced. The research method chosen in the article is the comparison of anthroposophy with current criteria for scientificity, determining its degree of correspondence to them, and identifying its strengths and weaknesses based on the scientific standards developed to date. The scientific novelty of the article lies in the phenomenological examination of anthroposophy to identify the signs of a true spiritual science within it and in the attempt to develop an understanding of how to elevate it to the status of a complete and holistic science of the spirit. In the introductory part of the article, assessments of anthroposophy in Russia from its inception to the present day are reviewed. The main body defines the current criteria for scientificity, after which anthroposophy is analyzed for its correspondence to them. In the concluding part, based on the conducted analysis, conclusions are made regarding the degree of scientificity of anthroposophy, its strengths and weaknesses are highlighted, the prospects for its development as a spiritual science are outlined, and possible alternatives are indicated. The outcome of the research conducted is the understanding that anthroposophy can be called the first attempt in history to create a spiritual science; however, it requires serious refinement in the aspects of: a) verification of the sources it uses; b) methodological reproducibility of the conditions, process, and results of spiritual scientific experiments by researchers other than the founder of the spiritual science; c) purity of the continuity of spiritual scientific research; d) full institutionalization of spiritual science. The formation and development of a true spiritual science is still ahead.