Steiner's trinitarian view and the philosophy of mind: A critique of Kuhn's landscape of consciousness taxonomy.
Acta psychologica July 1, 2026 Terje Sparby, Torbjørn Eftestøl, Markus Lindholm et al.
A recent taxonomy of philosophies of mind classifies Rudolf Steiner's view as mind-body dualism, but this classification is incorrect. Steiner's view is trinitarian, representing a unification of monism and dualism. This trinitarian conception challenges the taxonomy's placement of Steiner and suggests a potential fundamental limitation of the whole taxonomy, as monism and dualism may not be exclusive. Other thinkers such as Whitehead and de Chardin may also be trinitarian, indicating the taxonomy needs revision. The dualism versus monism debate mirrors limitations in current thinking. The trinitarian view offers a different approach to the hard problem of consciousness, understanding mind-body differentiation as part of human development.