Eco-Alchemy: Anthroposophy and the History and Future of Environmentalism

For nearly a century, the worldwide anthroposophical movement has been a catalyst for environmental activism, helping to bring to life many modern ecological practices such as organic farming, community-supported agriculture, and green banking. Yet the spiritual practice of anthroposophy remains unknown to most environmentalists. A historical and ethnographic study of the environmental movement, Eco-Alchemy uncovers for the first time the profound influences of anthroposophy and its founder, Rudolf Steiner, whose holistic worldview, rooted in esoteric spirituality, inspired the movement. Dan McKanan shows that environmentalism is itself a complex ecosystem and that it would not be as diverse or as transformative without the contributions of anthroposophy.

ISBN-13: 9780520290068

Media Type: Paperback

Publisher: University of California Press

Publication Date: 10-31-2017

Pages: 312

Product Dimensions: 5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

Dan McKanan is the Emerson Senior Lecturer at Harvard Divinity School and the author of several books on religion and social transformation, among them Touching the World: Christian Communities Transforming Society and Prophetic Encounters: Religion and the American Radical Tradition.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction: The Ecology of Environmentalism

Seed
Rudolf Steiner’s Holistic Vision

Roots
Biodynamics and the Origins of Organic Agriculture

Branches
Anthroposophical Initiatives and the Growing Environmental Movement

Flowers
New Economies for Environmentalism

Fruit
The Broader Ecology of Camphill

Ecology
The Boundaries of Anthroposophy

Evolution
Anthroposophy’s Gifts to the Environmental Movement

Notes
Index Show More