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heredity. We cannot do this, however, if at the end something appears that previously did not exist.
The reversal of the above sentence was only to show that in this case the idea of heredity is an
impossible one.
(e) p. 110
In certain chapters of this book it has been indicated how the world of man and the human being
himself pass through the states that have been designated by the names Saturn, Sun, Moon, Earth,
Jupiter, Venus, Vulcan. Indications have also been given concerning the relationship between human
evolution and celestial bodies co-existing with the earth, such as Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, and so forth.
These latter celestial bodies naturally go through their evolution also.
In the present age they have reached a stage in which their physical parts are shown to perception as
what is called in physical astronomy Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, and so forth. If now, in the sense of
spiritual science, the present Saturn is studied, it shows itself, so to speak, as a reincarnation of ancient
Saturn. It has come into existence because, before the separation of the sun from the earth, certain
beings were present who were unable to participate in this separation, since they had absorbed into
themselves so many of the characteristics belonging to the Saturn state that they could not abide in an
environment where especially the sun characteristics were unfolded.
The present Jupiter has arisen, however, through the presence of beings who possessed characteristics
that can only unfold on the future Jupiter of general cosmic evolution. An abode came into existence
for them in which they are able to anticipate this future evolution. Similarly, Mars is a celestial body
on which beings dwell who have passed through the Moon evolution in such a way that the earth
could offer them no further advancement. Mars is a reincarnation of the ancient Moon at a higher
stage.
The present Mercury is the dwelling place of beings who, by having developed certain earth
characteristics in a form higher than it can occur on this earth planet, are in advance of the evolution
of the Earth. In a similar way the present Venus is a prophetic anticipation of the future Venus state.
From all this we are justified in choosing the designations for the states that have preceded the Earth
and that will follow it from their present representatives in the cosmos. It is self-evident that there will
be many objections to what has been brought forth here by those who wish to subject the paralleling
of the supersensibly perceived Saturn, Sun and other cosmic states of evolution with the similarly
named physical celestial bodies to the judgment of an intellect trained in outer observation of nature.
But just as it is possible, by means of mathematical concepts, to place the solar system before the soul
as an image of time-space occurrences, so is it possible for supersensible cognition to permeate the
mathematical picture with a soul content. Then it takes on a form that justifies the above indicated
parallels. This permeation with a soul content is a natural consequence of the further application of a
strictly natural scientific mode of observation. This latter mode of observation limits itself at present
to seeking a reciprocal relationship between the solar system and the earth according to purely
mathematical-mechanical concepts.
By doing so, the natural science of the future will of itself be driven to concepts that will extend the
idea of a mechanical cosmos to one endowed with soul. To show  which could very well be done 
that such an extension ought already to occur on the basis of modern natural scientific concepts would
require the writing of another book. Here the matter in question can only be indicated; as a
consequence, this indication is exposed to misunderstandings of one sort or another.
The disagreement of spiritual science with natural science is often only apparent, because the latter
science still refuses at present to form thoughts that are not only demanded by supersensible cognition
but also, in truth, by a cognition that adheres strictly to the physical-sensory. An unprejudiced
observer is able to see everywhere in the results of modern natural scientific observation allusions to
other fields of purely physical-sensory observation, which will have to be investigated in the future in
a purely natural scientific manner and which will show that what supersensible perception reveals is
completely verified by a physical observation of nature insofar as supersensible cognition is
concerned with those supersensible cosmic occurrences to which physical-sensory manifestation
corresponds. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]