The book presents Steiner's biography through significant stages of his scientific work and key phases of his life. It also provides information about Steiner's initiatives following the end of World War I. It illustrates how Steiner endeavored to establish a Free School of Spiritual Science (Goetheanum) based in neutral Switzerland, from which humanistic impulses were to emanate into various areas of life. Its influence was intended to extend across fields such as medicine and education, in research, teaching, training, and through model institutions like Waldorf schools and anthroposophical clinics. The book also addresses the considerable international resonance that Steiner encountered, as well as the massive resistance he faced, particularly from clerical circles that labeled him a "heretic" and "gnostic," as well as from right-wing nationalist factions, partly due to Steiner's call for the overcoming of nationalistic thinking. A chronology of his life and work complements the volume.