Q. Is the Waldorf science curriculum sound?
A. In general, no. Indeed, science classes often are the weakest part of the Waldorf curriculum. The reason is that the underlying Waldorf belief system, Anthroposophy, contains many anti-scientific beliefs, such as belief in the existence of Atlantis, the astrological powers of the stars, the existence of invisible human bodies, and so forth.
Rudolf Steiner made such anti-scientific statements as this:
“[Science] sees the heart as a pump that pumps blood through the body. Now there is nothing more absurd than believing this, for the heart has nothing to do with pumping the blood.” [1]
Waldorf schools rarely teach such things to their students, but because Waldorf teachers usually believe Steiner, they are hesitant to convey scientifically correct information on such points.
Although Steiner claimed to be a kind of scientist (a "spiritual scientist"), he knew that many of his doctrines fly in the face of modern science, so he told Waldorf teachers to be wary about revealing them. For example, he said that islands and continents float in the ocean and are held in place by the stars:
“[A]n island like Great Britain swims in the sea and is held fast by the forces of the stars ... [I]slands do not sit directly upon a foundation; they swim and are held fast from outside ... However, we need to avoid [talking about] such things. We cannot tell them to the students ... [W]e would acquire a terrible name. Nevertheless, that is actually what we should achieve in geography.” [2]
Steiner sometimes claimed his teachings are consistent with the natural sciences. But as you can see from the examples above, his teachings are often incompatible with real scientific knowledge, and indeed Steiner often disparaged scientists, such as when he said the following:
“If a time came when physicists were to take the truth seriously, they would give up speculating about atoms and molecules.” [3]
To the degree that they accept Steiner's guidance, Waldorf faculties are often skeptical of, or actively opposed to, real science.
[1] Rudolf Steiner, FREUD, JUNG, AND SPIRITUAL PSYCHOLOGY, (SteinerBooks, 2001), pp. 124-125.
[2] Rudolf Steiner, FACULTY MEETINGS WITH RUDOLF STEINER (Anthroposophic Press, 1998), pp. 607-608.
[3] Rudolf Steiner, COLOUR (Rudolf Steiner Press, 1996) p. 101.
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