This weekend, September 19-21, the World Goetheanum Forum is taking place. A description of the inspiring history behind it and the events of the Forum.
Daniel Nicol Dunlop (1868-1935) was a Scottish entrepreneur and anthroposophist. He met Rudolf Steiner in 1905 and invited him to give lectures in Great Britain. He was expelled from the Anthroposophical Society in the disputes around 1935. Now, the Youth Section and the Goetheanum World Association are engaging with the visionary Scottish entrepreneur and his initiative one hundred years ago. At that time, Dunlop organized the World Power Conference for the first time, which continues to this day as the World Energy Congress. Dunlop’s intention was not limited to energy but aimed to establish a world economic conference in which producers, traders, and consumers were to be integrated. This world conference was intended to stimulate a creative discussion and collaboration between a free intellectual life and independent science and the economy so that the economy could increasingly become the basis of humane communities.
In order to visualize Dunlop’s intention, those responsible would like to shed light on the intellectual background and, above all, invite people to a friendly discussion and long-term cooperation. This means all those who want to build an economy of solidarity from the different generations with their initiatives, according to the invitation text. Peter Selg will speak at the conference about Ita Wegman’s relationship with Daniel Dunlop. Johanna Meyer-Tonndorf, Rosario Gabrielli, and Ani Jibghashvili will talk about their socio-economic engagement, and philosopher Salvatore Lavecchia will build a bridge from Dunlop’s intentions to the conditions for global peace. Andrea Valdinoci: “Today, peace is a question of our common economic activity. Dunlop had already grasped this as an impulse from the catastrophe of the First World War. Today, we should bring together the ideas of humane economic activity from ‘Steward Ownership’ to the ‘Economy of Love’ in Sekem to create a great feeling of solidarity. That’s what younger people expect.” The “Pitches from entrepreneurial life” should be interesting: pitches are rousing sketches of ideas that, at best, are so short that you can tell them on an elevator ride.
Recordings of the conference will be posted on Goetheanum TV after the event.
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Translation Charles Cross
Image Daniel Nicol Dunlop
