Continuing my commentary on the 23nd paragraph of Peter Staudenmaier's Anthroposophy and Ecofascism.
Steiner's book Friedrich Nietzsche, Ein Kämpfer Gegen Sein Zeit is divided into three sections:
- a critical analysis of Nietzsche's character,
- an exploration of the idea of the Superman, and
- an attempt to trace Nietzsche's path of development.
We find not the fawning applause of an acolyte, but instead a profound effort to place Nietzsche in the context of various directions in the philosophy of his times, an effort that to this day ranks as one of the more insightful attempted. Put quite simply, Rudolf Steiner was never a Nietzsche disciple, never a follower. He was deeply familiar with Nietzsche's work (and was even offered the position of editor of a planned edition of Nietzsche's complete works, a job he turned down when it became evident that he would not have editorial freedom and full access to the archives*) and appreciated elements of them.
* For the details, see Chapter 17 of Christoph Lindenberg's Rudolf Steiner, Eine Biographie. Stuttgart: Freies Geistesleben, 1997. Pages 240-260.
