Author: Christopher Houghton Budd
Pages: 14
Originally published 1993

Rudolf Steiner is not well-known as an economist, at least not in the English-speaking world, which is the main context for modern economics. This essay endeavours to place Steiner on the map by surveying his overall work and main ideas in this field, as well as his experiences in business life. Its themes range from Steiner’s ideas about the appropriate way of thinking in economics and the responsibility economists have for society at large to commentary on the key events of his time – notably the Treaty of Versailles. It also touches on the evolution of consciousness, an idea largely absent from economics, and looks at Steiner’s understanding of Marx’s role in history.