This week, following on from the previous two articles, we will be covering Iwao Takahashi's introduction to Steiner's social theory, "Reading 'The Future of Society.'" Because the book is so profound, we have decided to broadcast it over three articles on this channel.

This is the final installment of our introduction to Steiner's social theory, and we will explain Steiner's ideas on the three pillars of his "theory of the tripartite social organism": "economic life," "legal life," and "spiritual life."

Part 2 is here

1. Economic life: Labor power must not be commodified

Let's start with "economic life." Economic life has many aspects, but Steiner focuses particularly on the value of "labor."

Criticism of the wage labor system 

Labor in modern economic activity primarily refers to "wage labor," a system in which people sell their labor power as a commodity and receive wages in return from capitalists or corporations.

This system has become so commonplace in modern times that there is even a tendency to believe that work without wages is unthinkable. However, if we go back several hundred years, work and wages were not necessarily linked. Even today, there is a great deal of "hidden work" that does not receive compensation, such as domestic work.

Steiner points out that this very link between labor and wages is problematic.

The "triple articulation of the social organism" is characterized by its view of our society as a single organism (living organism). Steiner's basic assertion is that in order for the organism known as society to function healthily, "labor power must not be commodified." In his words, "labor must be completely separated from the economic process."

Work is a mental act 

Why do we need to separate labor from its reward, wages? According to Steiner, labor is essentially a "spiritual act." It is not merely an act for the purpose of earning money, but a spiritual activity that each of us engages in in society.

The most important principle for this spiritual activity is freedom. To ensure our spiritual freedom, we must separate work from wages.

In this case, we in modern times are required to change our way of thinking and accept the reality that ``labor does not necessarily lead to reward'' and ``the amount of work is not proportional to income.''

Connection with Basic Income (BI) theory 

However, when we think about it this way, the natural question arises: "How should we live?" We must consider what a new society would look like, one in which labor power is not treated as a commodity.

This is a very difficult issue even in modern society, and a society that separates work from income has not yet been realized. This is where the idea of "basic income (BI)" has attracted attention. Steiner's ideas can be connected to this modern theory of basic income.

In this book, Takahashi introduces modern BI theory, referencing works such as Ryo Yamamori's "Introduction to Basic Income."

Martin Luther King Jr. and "Guaranteed Income" 

The idea of BI is not a recent development, but has been advocated for a long time. According to Takahashi, the idea of a "guaranteed income" was first proposed by Martin Luther King Jr. during the 1968 American civil rights movement's "Poor People's March." This can truly be said to be the forerunner of modern BI theory.

A guaranteed income is a very clear statement that "every individual has the right to an income necessary for life, unconditionally." The key point is "every individual, unconditionally."

Many countries have systems that guarantee a minimum standard of living under certain conditions, such as welfare assistance, but to date there have been very few systems that eliminate conditions and guarantee income to all individuals unconditionally.

For example, if each of Japan's 120 million people were to be guaranteed 100,000 yen per month, a simple calculation would require a massive cost of 12 trillion yen per month, or 144 trillion yen per year, which would exceed the national budget.

A simple calculation would lead to the conclusion that realizing BI is extremely difficult, but there are currently many discussions going on about how to achieve it.

In addition to legal and economic issues, what is important here is the philosophy on which BI theory is based. From Steiner's perspective, the key point of BI theory is that "by separating work from income, freedom of mental activity is guaranteed for each individual."

2. Legal Life: Sharing Emotions and the Principle of Equality

Next, I would like to talk about the second of the three sections, "Living in the Law."

Steiner says that the most important thing in legal life is "sharing emotions." This is a very interesting point. Law and emotions may seem like the furthest thing from each other, but according to Steiner, "emotions of justice" and the social sense that "something is wrong" are the source of law.

Laws are not born out of nothing, but rather are formed as a result of the rising national sentiment of the time. In other words, laws are inseparable from the sense of justice of the people of the time, and this is a major factor in the enactment of laws.

Democratic procedures and the "principle of equality" 

However, each person's sense of justice is different. In society, the various emotions felt by citizens clash and are reconciled. Diverse senses of justice are reconciled through the democratic process and shaped into a single law.

We need to find a way to prevent these conflicts from escalating into conflict or violence, to allow them to develop smoothly through discussion and elevate them into a law. That way, we call it "democratic procedures."

The most important principle in this democratic process is the "principle of equality." Steiner calls the most important principle in economic life "fraternity," but the most important principle in legal life is "equality."

The principle of equality must apply when people's various senses of justice are treated equally. This process is democracy, and Steiner also recognizes the principle of majority rule in this process.

The importance of being "understandable" 

Steiner states that in order to uphold this principle of equality, the matters dealt with must be "understandable to people."

In social life, there are matters that can in principle be understood by all members, and issues that affect the inner psyche of individuals, and these can be considered separately.

Issues that concern the inner self of the individual are the realm of "spiritual life," where the principle of "freedom" rather than the principle of equality must apply.

Conflicts of opinion in legal life, that is, in society, are issues that are understandable to everyone, and therefore each person's opinions and feelings must be treated equally.

In reality, in order to create an environment in which people can make decisions equally, it is essential to create an environment conducive to democratic decisions, such as the right to know and freedom of the press. Democracy cannot exist simply by having a forum for discussion.

Independence of legal life and "mutual concern" 

This democracy (legal life) must be independent of economic life. First, economic power should not determine the weight of opinions.

The other is independence from spiritual life. This means that the law should not interfere in the inner lives of individuals. Steiner stated that democracy must be independent from the realms of spiritual and economic life, and that the prerequisite for this is that "each person must face others as an equal in terms of their power of judgment."

Here, Steiner makes a very interesting argument: "Having a common interest in society" is important for democracy and legal life to function. In other words, "mutual interest" - that is, having others interested in your problems and having your own interests in theirs - is extremely important.

For example, self-introductions may be held during workshops. At first glance, this may seem like a waste of time, but by sharing participants' concerns and backgrounds, a sense of solidarity is created, as if to say, "We are all sharing the same space."

Democracy can only function when this awareness exists within a community. For us to have the awareness that we are part of the same society, we need to take an interest in each other and share a common awareness of problems. This may be precisely what is critically lacking in modern society.

3. Spiritual life: “freedom”, “individuality”, and “sinking”

Finally, let's look at the "spiritual life" that Steiner was most interested in. Steiner listed three most important elements in this spiritual life: "freedom," "individuality," and "immersion."

"Individual": Treat people as individuals, not as a group 

First, let's talk about the "individual." Steiner emphasizes that when dealing with social issues, we must think as individuals, not as a group.

For example, when a sect, organization, or corporation is formed, we tend to think about things from the perspective of that group. If we approach social problems from a "group perspective" that is detached from individuals, we will not be able to see the true nature of the problem.

Steiner teaches that when tackling social issues, one should start from "the society within oneself." In other words, the starting point should not be "the ideals of the organization to which I belong," but rather the individual's inner social consciousness: "What kind of society do I personally envision as my ideal?" Steiner strongly warns that if this point is not thoroughly understood, we will end up falling into conflict between factions and sectarianism. We must always face issues proactively as individuals.

"Freedom": Awakening your inner self 

Next, what is "freedom"? Steiner does not believe that humans are born free. Rather, he believes that we can only become free by awakening and developing "something dormant" within us. This is the basic idea behind "The Philosophy of Freedom."

This is not a question of whether humans are free or not. Steiner's fundamental argument is that humans can become free beings through our inner development.

If we want to be free, we must first face ourselves. We must face ourselves, awaken our inner potential, and nurture it. Only through this process can we become truly free beings.

To achieve this, it is essential to free oneself from various external constraints and first achieve spiritual freedom. The fact that "freedom" is the most important principle in spiritual life shows the importance of unleashing this inner potential.

"Deep dive": Understanding the other person deeply

The third point, "immersion," is a very interesting concept, and in this book Takahashi points out that this is the most important part of Steiner's words.

"When we live in society, it is important that we be able to demonstrate our talent to be evil people alongside evil humanity."

This is a difficult phrase to understand. If we assume that there is a question of good and evil in this world, Steiner says that in order to solve social problems, it is extremely important to be a person who can face this "evil" and dive into it.

This is a way of thinking that is often seen in Steiner's thought. When trying to understand another person, one should never think of them in terms of one's own field. Instead, he said that true understanding cannot be achieved unless one enters into the other person and experiences a fusion so strong that one's self disappears. Steiner describes this as "deeply immersing oneself in the other person."

Even if the other person is an "evil person," he says that he must first delve into their inner world and become aware of a new world.

Steiner says that this has the opposite vector to the knowledge and culture we normally think of. Whereas knowledge and culture spread outward, true understanding (what Steiner calls spiritual understanding) is a way of sinking deeper and deeper inward, of immersing oneself in the other person's world.

Therefore, Steiner teaches that the problem of evil in society cannot be solved unless we immerse ourselves deeply in it, even if it is evil.

Conclusion

In this way, the three important pillars of spiritual life are "freedom," "individuality," and "immersion."

We have introduced Steiner's social theory over three articles. Steiner's social theory, developed from his unique epistemology, is quite different from conventional social theory, and you may find many aspects of it surprising. However, it should provide us with a very thought-provoking perspective on surviving the chaotic times ahead.

I hope you will pick up this book, "Reading The Future of Society," or one of Steiner's original works, and deepen your thoughts.

Thank you so much for tuning in this week, and we'll see you next time.

This is a reading guide by Shoji Shimura (CEO of Atelier Shimura).
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