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  • © 2013

The Natural philosophy of Emanuel Swedenborg

A Study in the Conceptual Metaphors of the Mechanistic World-View

Authors:

  • 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?

Part of the book series: Studies in the History of Philosophy of Mind (SHPM, volume 11)

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Table of contents (9 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xii
  2. Introduction

    • David Dunér
    Pages 1-36
  3. The Space

    • David Dunér
    Pages 37-75
  4. The Sign

    • David Dunér
    Pages 77-127
  5. The Wave

    • David Dunér
    Pages 129-206
  6. The Sphere

    • David Dunér
    Pages 207-278
  7. The Point

    • David Dunér
    Pages 279-302
  8. The Spiral

    • David Dunér
    Pages 303-351
  9. The Infinite

    • David Dunér
    Pages 353-383
  10. Conclusion

    • David Dunér
    Pages 385-416
  11. Back Matter

    Pages 417-473

About this book

Although Emanuel Swedenborg (1688–1772) 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.

Authors and Affiliations

  • Division of History of Ideas and Sciences Centre for Cognitive Semiotics, Lund University, Lund, Sweden

    David Dunér

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access