Introducing Threefold
Of the many contributions Rudolf Steiner made to our world, his exploration of threefoldness is among the most important. In few words, threefoldness describes relationships among phenomena consisting of a polarity (two opposites of form or function), and a middle realm or activity that mediates between them. Typically this middle element harmonizes, establishing health and interaction between factors otherwise divergent or at odds.
A simple example of threefoldness in nature can be found in the form and functions of a plant.
A plant lives in the polarity of earth, where it roots and draws nutrition, and cosmos : the sun with its influences of light and warmth, and the more subtle influences of stars and planets. As a middle, mediating realm the plant lives in the earth's airy atmosphere (oxygen, carbon dioxide etc), and its varied forms of moisture and precipitation.
For each of these environments, the plant has corresponding organs and functions. The polarity here is of root, where it finds and selects needed nutrients from the earth ; and an upper pole of flower, fruit and seed, manifesting scent, color and processes of reproduction, and bearing in these especially the stamp of cosmic light and warmth. The mediating middle realm for the plant is that of its leaves, with their rhythmic growth and exchange of gases with the environment ; but also with relationships to both rooting and flowering parts, to earthly and cosmic influences.
Perhaps most helpful of all Steiner's observations of threefoldness are those concerning the human being. Threefold aspects of form and function in man include :
- The polarity in human soul activity between thinking and willing (action/initiative/doing) ; with the mediating soul realm of feeling.
- The polarity in human physiology between anabolic (upbuilding) metabolic process and catabolic (breakdown) processes ; with the rhythmic, harmonizing activity of respiration and circulation mediating between.
- The corresponding polarity of organ systems in the human being, between those that support movement movement and metabolism (muscles, blood, liver and digestive organs, and the kidneys), and those that enable nervous and sensory activity (brain and nervous system) ; with the rhythmic, harmonizing activities of heart and lungs mediating between.
It should be noted that life is a unity. As we've seen, each function in these triads has its own main organs ; but they also interpenetrate. As a first example, consider the human head. The head is clearly the main locus of nerve-sense activity in the body (the brain, all five senses) ; yet nervous and sensory activity also occur everywhere, e.g. through our sense of touch, the body's internal perception of itself, etc.
While metabolic functions in our body arise most predominantly in the abdominal organs, metabolic activity also occurs in the head, for instance the glucose metabolism so important to the brain. Activities of the rhythmic system, although most clearly manifest in the chest region, are also clearly present in the head, in the circulation of blood and exchange of respiratory gases (oxygen, carbon dioxide). Without these activities, the functions of our head stop immediately. Within our threefold makeup therefore, interpenetration, interaction occur. The same is true everywhere in the body – and everywhere in nature as well.
This said, there are also situations where the activities of metabolic, nerve sense and rhythmic system can fall out of harmony, to intrude or interfere in each other's workings ; and in so doing, disrupt them.
One brief example would be the overburdening of the head through relentless nerve sense activity (excessive computer time, extended need to focus, bombardment with sense impressions) ; which may in turn give rise to excessive, breakout metabolic activity there, or in the chest (migraine ; excessive inflammation and secretions in those areas ; susceptibility to viral and bacterial infections). Medical work enhanced by this threefold understanding can work with such disturbances skillfully, firstly by knowing how to look for, understand and diagnose them ; secondly by appropriately extended treatments and therapies ; and not least, advice to patients on how best to keep balance in their own lives.
These are just the smallest of examples, but understanding of threefoldness has been fruitful not just in medicine, but in realms as diverse as education and agriculture. It can in fact be a starting point for exploration - and new, healing impulses - in many fields.
Threefoldness and Social Life
From the considerations above, it's also worthwhile to look for threefoldness in the basic relationships of human social life. Rudolf Steiner identified economic life, rights (legal and political) life and spiritual and cultural ("spiritual-cultural") life as a threefoldness in social life, exploring relationships - and tensions - among these in his threefold social idea. In what follows, we'll first look at the roots of these three spheres of life in our own threefold nature.
"Inner", "Outer" - and "Inter"
Our faculty of thinking unfolds entirely inwardly, and includes elements of insight and creativity we can recognize as belonging to spiritual cultural life - the realm of individual talents and ability.
Our faculty of willing (doing, activity) is polar to thinking ; it manifests most clearly outside of us, in our deeds and actions. Through willing we take active hold of our environment, shaping and organizing it to our own wishes and needs. The direction of will to our physical needs of life corresponds in the social sphere to economic life.
Mediating between inwardly directed thinking and outwardly directed willing, with the capacity to correct and harmonize excesses, is social life proper - our relationship with others. In this realms inwardly developed abilities are shared outwardly for the benefit of others, and impulses of self interest can be moderated, on the one hand through communication, and on the other through empathy.
The most pure manifestation of social life may be seen in rights life - in establishment and maintenance of rules, as arrived at by agreements among equals, for the purpose of common safety and well being.
The Threefold Social Organism
Society, as we begin to see, reflects the features of the human beings it's composed of, and repeats these
in its larger structures and relationships. Observation of these phenomena gives rise to pictures that, although perhaps new, can be surprisingly helpful and useful. For your consideration as you read these articles, think of
Rudolf Steiner's Threefold Social Idea
For a threefold human being in a threefold social world, we can ask, what most helps individuals - and society - develop in healthy directions ? What leads in the direction of harm ? If we hope to find answers to these questions, it will help to look at economic, rights and spiritual cultural more closely, including their individual contributions to the whole, their differing needs, their mutual relationships and necessary limits and boundaries among them. We'll look at this more in the next article.
Jeff Smith RN (Retired)
Next : The Threefold Social Idea
Of the many contributions Rudolf Steiner made to our world, his exploration of threefoldness is among the most important. In few words, threefoldness describes relationships among phenomena consisting of a polarity (two opposites of form or function), and a middle realm or activity that mediates between them. Typically this middle element harmonizes, establishing health and interaction between factors otherwise divergent or at odds.
A simple example of threefoldness in nature can be found in the form and functions of a plant.
A plant lives in the polarity of earth, where it roots and draws nutrition, and cosmos : the sun with its influences of light and warmth, and the more subtle influences of stars and planets. As a middle, mediating realm the plant lives in the earth's airy atmosphere (oxygen, carbon dioxide etc), and its varied forms of moisture and precipitation.
For each of these environments, the plant has corresponding organs and functions. The polarity here is of root, where it finds and selects needed nutrients from the earth ; and an upper pole of flower, fruit and seed, manifesting scent, color and processes of reproduction, and bearing in these especially the stamp of cosmic light and warmth. The mediating middle realm for the plant is that of its leaves, with their rhythmic growth and exchange of gases with the environment ; but also with relationships to both rooting and flowering parts, to earthly and cosmic influences.
Perhaps most helpful of all Steiner's observations of threefoldness are those concerning the human being. Threefold aspects of form and function in man include :
- The polarity in human soul activity between thinking and willing (action/initiative/doing) ; with the mediating soul realm of feeling.
- The polarity in human physiology between anabolic (upbuilding) metabolic process and catabolic (breakdown) processes ; with the rhythmic, harmonizing activity of respiration and circulation mediating between.
- The corresponding polarity of organ systems in the human being, between those that support movement movement and metabolism (muscles, blood, liver and digestive organs, and the kidneys), and those that enable nervous and sensory activity (brain and nervous system) ; with the rhythmic, harmonizing activities of heart and lungs mediating between.
It should be noted that life is a unity. As we've seen, each function in these triads has its own main organs ; but they also interpenetrate. As a first example, consider the human head. The head is clearly the main locus of nerve-sense activity in the body (the brain, all five senses) ; yet nervous and sensory activity also occur everywhere, e.g. through our sense of touch, the body's internal perception of itself, etc.
While metabolic functions in our body arise most predominantly in the abdominal organs, metabolic activity also occurs in the head, for instance the glucose metabolism so important to the brain. Activities of the rhythmic system, although most clearly manifest in the chest region, are also clearly present in the head, in the circulation of blood and exchange of respiratory gases (oxygen, carbon dioxide). Without these activities, the functions of our head stop immediately. Within our threefold makeup therefore, interpenetration, interaction occur. The same is true everywhere in the body – and everywhere in nature as well.
This said, there are also situations where the activities of metabolic, nerve sense and rhythmic system can fall out of harmony, to intrude or interfere in each other's workings ; and in so doing, disrupt them.
One brief example would be the overburdening of the head through relentless nerve sense activity (excessive computer time, extended need to focus, bombardment with sense impressions) ; which may in turn give rise to excessive, breakout metabolic activity there, or in the chest (migraine ; excessive inflammation and secretions in those areas ; susceptibility to viral and bacterial infections). Medical work enhanced by this threefold understanding can work with such disturbances skillfully, firstly by knowing how to look for, understand and diagnose them ; secondly by appropriately extended treatments and therapies ; and not least, advice to patients on how best to keep balance in their own lives.
These are just the smallest of examples, but understanding of threefoldness has been fruitful not just in medicine, but in realms as diverse as education and agriculture. It can in fact be a starting point for exploration - and new, healing impulses - in many fields.
Threefoldness and Social Life
From the considerations above, it's also worthwhile to look for threefoldness in the basic relationships of human social life. Rudolf Steiner identified economic life, rights (legal and political) life and spiritual and cultural ("spiritual-cultural") life as a threefoldness in social life, exploring relationships - and tensions - among these in his threefold social idea. In what follows, we'll first look at the roots of these three spheres of life in our own threefold nature.
"Inner", "Outer" - and "Inter"
Our faculty of thinking unfolds entirely inwardly, and includes elements of insight and creativity we can recognize as belonging to spiritual cultural life - the realm of individual talents and ability.
Our faculty of willing (doing, activity) is polar to thinking ; it manifests most clearly outside of us, in our deeds and actions. Through willing we take active hold of our environment, shaping and organizing it to our own wishes and needs. The direction of will to our physical needs of life corresponds in the social sphere to economic life.
Mediating between inwardly directed thinking and outwardly directed willing, with the capacity to correct and harmonize excesses, is social life proper - our relationship with others. In this realms inwardly developed abilities are shared outwardly for the benefit of others, and impulses of self interest can be moderated, on the one hand through communication, and on the other through empathy.
The most pure manifestation of social life may be seen in rights life - in establishment and maintenance of rules, as arrived at by agreements among equals, for the purpose of common safety and well being.
The Threefold Social Organism
Society, as we begin to see, reflects the features of the human beings it's composed of, and repeats these
in its larger structures and relationships. Observation of these phenomena gives rise to pictures that, although perhaps new, can be surprisingly helpful and useful. For your consideration as you read these articles, think of
- Spiritual cultural life as the organ by which society perceives itself and its circumstances, processes impressions and formulates them in new ways ; serving society creatively as the nerves and brain serve the body, as a vehicle for the spirit in human affairs.
- Economic life as the organ by which society gathers, processes and circulates physical substances and products ; serving society as our organs of nutrition and mobility do to sustain our physical existence.
- Rights life as the organ by which society establishes protections, freedoms and basic dignity for its members, adequate to allow a human life, "a life worth living". When we think of rights life we might think first of laws and criminal justice - even the military ; but more basically, it serves safety, peace and harmony in society. Healthy rights life draws on our capacities for self reflection, empathy and communication. At the social and emotional levels of our lives it does what respiration and the circulation of our blood do at the bodily level : balancing, integrating and harmonizing forces otherwise naturally at odds. Beyond physical safety, rights life creates space for our human life of feelings - the life of our human soul.
Rudolf Steiner's Threefold Social Idea
For a threefold human being in a threefold social world, we can ask, what most helps individuals - and society - develop in healthy directions ? What leads in the direction of harm ? If we hope to find answers to these questions, it will help to look at economic, rights and spiritual cultural more closely, including their individual contributions to the whole, their differing needs, their mutual relationships and necessary limits and boundaries among them. We'll look at this more in the next article.
Jeff Smith RN (Retired)
Next : The Threefold Social Idea
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