Information for each entry includes:

Title, (Date of publication),
Author(s), Editor(s)
ISBN13; CW# if by Rudolf Steiner
Blurb (back cover descriptor)

Social Threefolding: Rebalancing Culture, Politics and Economics:  An Introductory Reader (2018)

by Rudolf Steiner (Author), Stephen E Usher (Editor, Introduction)
9781855845558

In the devastating aftermath of World War I, Rudolf Steiner gained a reputation as a leading social thinker. One mainstream reviewer of his book Towards Social Renewal referred to it as "perhaps the most widely read of all books on politics appearing since the war." Steiner's proposals for the reconstruction of Europe and rebuilding the crumbling social structure were thus discussed publicly as a serious alternative to both Communism and capitalism.

Steiner's "threefold" ideas involve the progressive independence of socioeconomic, political, and cultural institutions. This should be realized through the promotion of human rights and equality in political life, freedom in the cultural realm, and associative cooperation in economics and business.

In this carefully assembled anthology of lectures and writing by Rudolf Steiner, Stephen Usher gathers key concepts and insights to form a coherent picture of social threefolding. Apart from fundamental lectures on the theme, the volume also features the full content of Steiner's unique Memoranda of 1917. The original texts are complemented with the editor's introduction, "Seminal Ideas and Historic Moments," plus commentary and notes.

==========

Toward a Threefold Society: Thinking – Feeling – Willing; Freedom – Equality – Fraternity. (2021)

By Rudolf Steiner. Translator: Frank Thomas Smith.
Paperback 9781948302166; Kindle 9781948302173; CW23

This book was first published in Germany in 1919, immediately after the First World War. It recommends that Germany, still suffering the “calamity” of the war, organize itself in a Threefold Society with autonomous economic, political and cultural systems. He wrote at the end of the book:
"One can anticipate the experts who object to the complexity of these suggestions and find it uncomfortable even to think about three systems cooperating with each other, because they wish to know nothing of the real requirements of life and would structure everything according to the comfortable requirements of their own thinking. This must become clear to them: either people will accommodate their thinking to the requirements of reality, or they will have learned nothing from the calamity and will cause innumerable new ones to occur in the future."
The “calamity” referred to is the First World War, and since that time history has shown these words to be prophetic. Rudolf Steiner’s suggestions were ignored in Europe at that time, and the calamities have been occurring “innumerably” ever since. The “social question” has not been resolved, nor have the steps been taken which are necessary to initiate the healing process. Is it not now time to reconsider them for the world in a new age?

==========

World Economy (1973)

by Rudolf Steiner (Author), A.O. Barfield (Translator), T. Gordon-Jones (Translator)

9780854402663; CW340

Every individual must grapple with the questions of how to provide for themselves, their family and those with whom they connect through empathy. The daily news is filled with political and cultural struggles on topics related to the distribution of income, production and consumption. But is the political realm the proper situs for discussion and any progress in resolving problems in the economic realm? This collection of 100 year old lectures by Rudolf Steiner, PhD to a class of university economics majors students provide insight into economic questions that so far have not received broad recognition but point the direction to a practical way to resolve these conflicts without the usual right/left, useless and destructive debate. He discusses the true forces underlying price formation, the value and lifetime of money and the proper relationship of producers, consumers and pure traders. A must read for anyone who wants a fresh outlook on what is possibly the most serious issue facing us today.

At the end of the first world war, in striking contrast to President Wilson’s ‘self-determination of nations’, Rudolf Steiner was proposing for the settlement of Europe the division of the social organism into three separate spheres, dealing respectively with cultural and educational affairs, with matters of human rights, and with economics and production.  Each sphere was to have its own frontiers, character and objective.
the present volume deals principally with the economic sphere, but it has much to say concerning its relation with and dependence on, the others spheres as well
although the form in which Rudolf Steiner first developed his proposals for a ‘threefold commonwealth’ was oriented towards Central Europe and the context of the time, they are based on deep insight into the new economic and social forces which were then so plainly emerging but were so little understood.
The world was not ready for Rudolf Steiner radical proposals; but today we are being forced by the failure of our social and economic programmes to look for solutions which grow from a deep understanding of the human being.  It is in the light of such an understanding that Rudolf Steiner approaches such crucial questions as the relation of wages to production, the proper function of capital, finance and the different forms of money. The ownership of land – and many other issues of vital importance to our modern industrial society.  Behind this economic analysis stands the picture of a truly human society, in which man can find himself as producer, as citizen, and as a free agent in harmony with his fellows.

========== 

The Social Future (1945)

6 lectures by Rudolf Steiner in Zurich, Switzerland in October 1919
CW322a
Not in print, but available on www.rsarchive.org as .pdf

I.            The Social Question as a Cultural Question, a Question of Equity, and a Question of Economics.         October 24

II.           The Organization of a Practical Economic Life on the Associative Basis. Transformation of the Market and Fixing of Prices. Money and Taxation. Credit. October 25

III.          Legal Questions. The Task and the Limitations of Democracy. Public Law. Criminal Law. October 26

IV.          Cultural Questions. Spiritual Science (Art, Science, Religion). The Nature of Education. Social Art.             October 28

V.           The Cooperation of the Spiritual, Political, and Economic Departments of Life for the Building Up of a Unified Threefold Social Organism.           October 29

VI.         National and International Life in the Threefold Social Organism.               October 30

==========

The Renewal of the Social Organism (1985)

by Rudolf Steiner [CW24]
9780880101264

24 Newspaper articles published in 1919-20.

==========

Rudolf Steiner and Social Reform – Threefolding and other proposals. (2022)

by Masters, Richard. 
9781855845985

How might we improve the way we organize society so that human beings can live in greater peace, dignity and justice? Against a background of chronic discontent and social conflict around the globe, Richard Masters presents a comprehensive survey of Rudolf Steiner’s work on social reform, sifting through and summarizing the content of dozens of books, lectures, and discussions.

Rudolf Steiner is not known today for his social thinking, but he wrote and spoke at length on such issues during and after World War I, engaging with audiences that ranged from royalty, politicians, and business owners to illiterate and dispossessed factory workers. Central to his ideas was his “threefold” approach to politics, economics, and culture. He insisted that their roles should be clarified and these three spheres should be allowed to thrive independently.

Drawing on the full range of source material (including much that is not yet available in English), the author reveals the continuing relevance of Steiner’s work for our contemporary world. With an emphasis on accessibility, he builds his subject methodically, researching the key ideas from various perspectives. Masters offers candid reflections on the degree to which Steiner’s proposals are still applicable to current policy and practice.

Authoritative, accessible, and jargon-free, Rudolf Steiner and Social Reform offers innovative and stimulating ideas for anyone concerned with the state of our world.

==========

The Social Archetype: Realizing Society's Threefold Unity: A New Goetheanism  (2024)

by Nigel Hoffmann
9781912992553

We live in a time of multiple challenges to our rights and freedoms, not only under authoritarian regimes but also in liberal democracies around the globe. As the storm clouds of crises gather, Rudolf Steiner's century-old social vision offers a clear way forward.

Radical in his time and remaining so today, Steiner's "social threefolding" was not conceived as a "logical system." Rather, his picture of society as a living, threefold unity and social "organism" arises from artistic insight and needs to be grasped through the imagination. To understand its three dimensions--economic, political-legal cultural-spiritual--and how they interrelate is to experience them inwardly. This requires living, creative thinking that can penetrate the archetypal forces behind the concepts--a modern and truly Goethean approach to the social sciences.

In an illuminating study, Nigel Hoffmann's dynamic presentation enables us to develop precisely such an artistic, imaginative understanding of the threefold social organism. He achieves this through clear descriptions of its principles and practical governance, while also offering wise advice regarding the adaptation of education--at both school and graduate levels--to advance a threefold society.

==========

Free, Equal, and Mutual: Rebalancing Society for the Common Good ( 2018)

by Martin Large (Author), Steve Briault (Author), Nicanor Perlas (Foreword)
9781907359941

also

Common Wealth: For a Free, Equal, Mutual and Sustainable Society (2010)
by Large, Martin
9781903458983

Just when 'the market' nearly took over all areas of life, the credit, climate and democratic crunches came along, challenging us to rebuild a society that works well for all. Common Wealth asks, 'How can we build a more free, equal, mutual and sustainable society? 'We know that we don't want a 'market state'. This turns our public services into businesses, uses relentless surveillance to secure compliance, destroys the planet for corporate growth and widens inequality. However, tripolar society is emerging as an alternative, where civil society, government and business push back the market, and work in partnership for the common good.

========== 

Freeing the Human Spirit: The Threefold Social Order, Money & the Waldorf School (2003)

By Michael Spence, Editor: David Mitchell
9781888365214

This comprehensive book suggests how true human dignity can be attained through a correct understanding of karma and destiny in the workplace. Michael Spence describes how we can be socially, legally, and economically true to the realities of spiritual science.

Michael Spence has lectured at Waldorf schools across North America, and his important book will guide us to new social possibilities if we have the courage to work with his ideas.

========== 

Functional Threefoldness in the Human Organism and Human Society  (2011

by Rohen, Johannes W.)
 9780932776426

Johannes Rohen is known as the father of functional anatomy, and his anatomy books are used by medical students around the world. In this book, he has turned his attention to human society, applying his functional approach developed over decades of meditating on the human organism. The result is a holistic yet highly differentiated view of human society as a dynamic organism that takes our understanding of social issues to a deeper level of insight. He sees the same threefold structure at work in human society as he sees in the human organism. This is a stimulating and challenging book from a renowned master.

==========

Functional Morphology – the Dynamic Wholeness of the Human Organism.  (2011)

By Rohen, Johannes W.
9780932776365

Physicians around the world are familiar with Johannes Rohen's books on human anatomy. In this, his last major work, Dr. Rohen presents the fruits of his lifelong study of the human organism. Viewing the various organs and organ systems in the context of the organism as a dynamic whole, he arrives at new and profound insights. Functional Morphology significantly supplements and expands the concepts of general anatomy and offers a new basis for approaching the interaction of body and soul. It not only conveys information, but also awakens the reader's astonishment and joy at the unique nature of the human being.

Functional Morphology offers fresh insight and inspiration for physicians, therapists, educators, and anyone interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the human organism.

==========

The Fundamental Social Law: Rudolf Steiner on the Work of the Individual and the Spirit of Community  (2011)

by Peter Selg (Author), Catherine E Creeger (Translator)
9780880106542

The healthy social life is found
When in the mirror of each human being
The whole community finds its reflection
And when in the community
The virtue of each one is living.

Rudolf Steiner understood that human social, ethical, and moral development lagged far behind what had been achieved in knowledge, science, and technology; and that what human beings had achieved in these fields rested on what caused social and moral life to be untenable for so many, namely, the universal rule of egoism and self-interest.

In 1905, a historic year of political and economic crises, Rudolf Steiner formulated what he called the basic "social axiom" or "the cosmic law of work" The well-being of an entire group of individuals who work together is the greater, the less individuals claim the income resulting from their own accomplishments for themselves, that is, the more they contribute this income to their fellow workers and the more their own needs are met not through their own efforts but through the efforts of others.

Underlying this "fundamental social law" is the seminal realization that human social reality pivots on the question of work and compensation. Does one work for oneself, for one's salary? Or does one work for others, the community or larger society? For Rudolf Steiner, it was critical to understand that work should be a free deed. In other words, work and income should be completely separated.

In this profound work, Peter Selg traces how, at the end of the Great War, with Steiner's tireless efforts for the threefold movement, this fundamental social-spiritual insight moved into the center of his activities as an overriding practical and spiritual concern, rephrased as the "motto of social ethics," and deepened and filled with the full reality of Christ's teachings and life.

Anyone interested in a just, equitable, healthy, and spirit-based social future should read The Fundamental Social Law.

========== 

Transforming People and Organizations: The Seven Steps of Spiritual Development  (2004)

by Margaret Van Den Brink (Author)
9781902636504

Individuals, groups and organizations find themselves in a process of continual change, transformation and growth. Margarete van den Brink suggests all people, whether individually or in groups, experience the same archetypal process of development, consisting of seven steps. Giving practical examples, she describes how these steps or phases can be recognized in individuals, in relationships and groups, and even in commercial and voluntary organizations. A knowledge of the various steps allows for clarity and vision, helping to prepare for the sorts of challenges and rewards we might face. In addition to the external aspect of these processes there is the internal aspect. The author indicates that the process of growth through the seven phases is, in essence, a process of spiritual development. Spirit manifests itself in the human being and determines the meaning and direction of our lives, giving impulses for change and direction. These impulses are also at work in groups and organizations, and knowledge of them allows for greater insight. Van den Brink's approach offers a refreshingly new and dynamic way forward in contrast to the 'rationalist' methodologies of much of mainstream consultancy and personal development.

========== 

The Waldorf School and the Threefold Structure: The Embarrassing Mandate: The Risk of Being an Anthroposophical Institution  (2003)

by Dieter Brull (Author)
9781888365054

This controversial book examines the democratic process and identifies how Steiner’s ideas on the threefold social order can be applied in a Waldorf school.

==========

The Liberation of Work (1969)

by Wilken, Folkert
9781003466888 

The Liberation of Work considers how to ‘liberate’ work, so that it flows freely, happily, creatively, with a minimum of hindrance and frustration. Professor Wilken does not consider the problem of work primarily as a problem of economics: he regards it as an intensely philosophical problem, and discusses it in terms of ultimate human values. He gives practical examples of the problem of work by the use of case studies, and demonstrates how actual firms have tried to develop new modes of cooperation and associative partnership in business. This book will be of interest to students of economics and sociology.

==========

Democracy and its Crisis.  (2018)

by Grayling, A.C. 
9781786074065

Prompted by events in recent years in the UK and the USA, in Latin America, Russia and the Middle East, A. C. Grayling investigates why the institutions of representative democracy seem unable to sustain themselves against forces they were designed to manage, and why it matters. In each of five short chapters, he considers a moment in history in which the challenges we face today were first encountered, how they were overcome - or not - and with what consequences.  With the advent of authoritarian leaders and the simultaneous rise of populism, representative democracy appears to be caught between a rock and a hard place, yet it is this space that it must occupy, argues Grayling, if a civilized society, that looks after all its people, is to flourish.

==========

Against Elections – The Case for Democracy.  (2016)

by Van Reybrouck, David 
 9781847924223

Whenever there are elections, the results are the same- fear-mongering, division and broken promises. Against Elections offers a new diagnosis - and an ancient remedy.

'Excellent . . . Why does our system keep electing people whose incomes, assets, interests and psychology are hugely at variance with ours? Because that is what it is designed to do' George Monbiot, Guardian
As this ingenious book shows, the original purpose of elections was not democracy- it was to exclude the people from power by appointing an elite to govern over them.
In fact, for most of its 3000-year history, democracy did not involve elections at all- members of the public were appointed to positions in government through a combination of volunteering and lottery.
Based on studies and trials from around the globe, this hugely influential manifesto presents the practical case for a true democracy - one that actually works.
Urgent, heretical and completely convincing, Against Elections leaves only one question to be answered- what are we waiting for?

==========

Shaping Globalization: Civil Society, Cultural Power, and Threefolding  ( 2003)

by Nicanor Perlas
9719223308

Civil Society has become a major power in the world.  The stunning defeat of the controversial and secretive Multilateral Agreement on Investments, [MAI] the massive world-wide WTO protests, and the yearly meetings of the World Social Forum are testimony to its coming of age.  With tens of millions of citizens and over a trillion dollars involved in advancing its agenda, civil society now joins the State and the Market as the third key institution shaping globalisation.  However, it cannot fully mobilise its resources and power because it lacks clear understanding of its identity.  "Shaping Globalisation" argues that global civil society is a cultural institution wielding cultural power, and shows how, through the use of this distinct power, it can advance its agenda in the political and economic realms of society without compromising its identity.  The book then outlines the strategic implications for civil society both locally and globally, and explains that its key task is to inaugurate 'threefolding': the forging, where appropriate, of strategic partnerships between civil society, government, and business.  Such authentic tri-sector partnerships are essential for advancing new ways for nations to develop, and for charting a different, sustainable kind of globalisation.  Using the model of The Philippine Agenda 21, the book shows how civil society and progressive individuals and agencies in government and business are demonstrating the effectiveness of this new understanding to ensure that globalisation benefits the poor, societies, and nature.

==========

Three Kinds of Money: Rudolf Steiner and the Development of Monetary Economics (20090

by Edwards, Arthur
9780948229596

Arthur Edwards, through his research on Rudolf Steiner's ideas, discusses three kinds of money: purchase money, loan money, and money as bookkeeping (accounting). This framework distinguishes between money used for immediate purchases, money used for loans, and money as a system of accounting and record-keeping. 

• Purchase Money:

This refers to the money used for everyday transactions and the immediate acquisition of goods and services. 

• Loan Money:

This type of money is associated with lending and borrowing, where money is used as a means of credit and deferred payment. 

• Money as Bookkeeping (Accounting):

This concept, heavily influenced by Steiner, views money not just as a medium of exchange or store of value, but as a system of accounting that facilitates economic activity and can be used to consciously manage economic balance. This perspective emphasizes the role of accounting and shared ledgers in managing economic transactions and balances. 

Edwards' work explores how understanding these distinctions can lead to a more conscious and effective approach to monetary policy and financial literacy. He suggests that by understanding the different functions of money, individuals can better participate in shaping economic outcomes. 

==========

Beyond the Market: Economics for the 21st Century (1994)

by Gaudenz Assenza (Author)
9780948229152

Market economics is largely contradicted by the developments that accompany it. Particularly in the West, economic life has become intimately bound up with the state, making a mockery of the idea of the free play of market forces. On the other hand, when market forces do prevail, it is often at great, and unacceptable, environmental and social cost.

This book looks beyond the economics of capitalism and communism to explore what can be derived from a recognition of the economic process as such. The wisdom inherent in this process, translated into equitable economic conduct, can provide the resource sustainability and service to humanity as a whole that most people today seem to be seeking.

==========

Money for a Better World: New Ways of Working with Money (1998)

by Rudolf Mees (Author)
1869890264

This volume reworks attitudes towards handling money and presents finance on a human scale. It discusses alternative methods of approaching borrowing, saving and lending. 

==========

Social Ecology (1981)

by Martin Large
9780950706221

the fabric of relationships – of individuals, groups and organisations – which form the existing ‘social household’, is breaking down.  This crisis offers opportunities for personal growth, working in groups, organisational development and taking initiatives.  It is illustrated practically by an account of how a medium sized company acquired the human and organisational flexibility necessary for resourceful survival.

==========

Peace and the Threefold Commonwealth - a memorandum on the reconstruction of the social order (1943)

by T. Gordon Jones M.B.E.
Anthroposophic Press, New York.  Out of print. 47pp

==========

Some interesting non-anthroposophical texts.

~~~~ 

Understanding the Financial System: Social Credit Rediscovered  (2011)

by Frances Hutchinson (Author)
9781906067090

Arguing that a thorough understanding of the institutions of finance is the necessary prerequisite for humanity to regain freedom and establish genuine democracies, this reference is a clarification of the history of the Social Credit movement. From the time England’s King William III borrowed money from a group of private individuals for the purpose of war in 1694, finance has been debt-based. As industrialization evolved, people were transformed into propertyless, debt-owning, money-earning slaves. Why this should be so, how it is done, and why the sound body of economic theory known as “social credit” has been studiously ignored by orthodox economic theorizing is thoroughly documented in this work. 

========== 

Doughnut Economics: redefining economics for a world in crisis (2018)

by Kate Raworth (Author)
9781847041398

Relentless financial crises. Extreme inequalities in wealth. Remorseless pressure on the environment. Anyone can see that our economic system is broken.

But can it be fixed?

Oxford academic Kate Raworth has identified seven critical ways in which mainstream economics has led us astray - from selling us the myth of 'rational economic man' to obsessing over growth at all costs - and offers an alternative roadmap for bringing humanity into a sweet spot that meets the needs of all, within the means of the planet.

Ambitious, radical and provocative, Doughnut Economics offers a new cutting-edge economic model fit for the challenges of the 21st century.

==========

Local Is Our Future: Steps to an Economics of Happiness (2019)

by Helena Norberg-Hodge (Author)
9781732980402

From a renowned pioneer of the anti-globalization movement, a primer on working towards a localized world.
 From disappearing livelihoods to financial instability, from climate chaos to an epidemic of depression, we face crises on a number of seemingly unrelated fronts. This well-referenced book traces the common roots of these problems in a globalized economy that is incompatible with life on a finite planet. But Local is Our Future does more than just describe the problem: it describes the policy shifts and grassroots steps - many of them already underway around the world - that can move us towards the local and, thereby, towards a better world.

==========

Courage to Change : A Case For Monetary Reform (2002)

by Les Hunter
9780473092573 NZ

If adequate shelter is essential for human beings to live with dignity, why is the ownership of a home restricted to people who can afford to pay interest?  Divorcing the national currency from the profit motive.

==========