The Natural philosophy of Emanuel Swedenborg

This book analyzes Swedenborg's early mechanistic worldview from a cognitive perspective, using a study of metaphors in his texts. The author argues that metaphors are vital to the creative mind and scientific thinking, to visual analogies and abstract ideas.

Although Emanuel Swedenborg (16881772) is commonly known for his spiritual philosophy, his early career was focused unnatural science. During this period, Swedenborg thought of the world was like a gigantic machine, following the laws of mechanics and geometry. This volume analyzes this mechanistic worldview from the cognitive perspective, by means of a study of the metaphors in Swedenborg's texts. The author argues that these conceptual metaphors are vital skills of the creative mind and scientific thinking, used to create visual analogies and abstract ideas. This means that Swedenborg's mechanistic and geometrical worldview, allowed him to perceive the world as mechanical and geometrical. Swedenborg thought with books and pens. The reading gave him associations and clues, forced him to interpret, and gave him material for his intellectual development.

Comprehensive study of Emanuel Swedenborg's mechanistic worldview and metaphorical way of thinking up to the year 1734 New perspective of the mechanistic philosophy of the 17th and 18th century: the cognitive metaphors of the mind and its role in the formation of scientific theories Casts new light on Swedenborg's later spiritual philosophy and doctrine of correspondences Winner of the Pro Lingua Translation Award for promoting eminent Swedish research?

Inhalt

1. Introduction.- 2. The space.- 3. The Sign.- 4. The wave.- 5. The sphere.- 6. The point.- 7. The spiral.- 8. The infinite.- 9. Conclusion.