Representative Men · Chapter
Swedenborg; or, the Mystic explained
Emerson explores the life and work of Emanuel Swedenborg, positioning him as a representative mystic who bridges the intellectual and moral worlds.
What happens
Emerson explores the life and work of Emanuel Swedenborg, positioning him as a representative mystic who bridges the intellectual and moral worlds. He contrasts Swedenborg's systematic, visionary approach with that of poets and philosophers, emphasizing the primacy of moral sentiment and the intuitive access to truth. The chapter critiques Swedenborg's later turn against intellect and his grim, deterministic cosmology, while acknowledging his monumental contributions to thought.
Themes in this chapter
The Poet and Writer as Seer
Swedenborg is portrayed as a seer who accesses higher truths through intuition and vision, beyond empirical experience.
Moral Sentiment and Intellect
The chapter explores the tension between moral sentiment and intellect, particularly in Swedenborg's later rejection of his own intellectual faculties.
Skepticism and Balance
Emerson critiques Swedenborg's lack of balance, noting his descent into grim visions and the absence of vital spontaneity in his system.
Characters to notice
- Emanuel Swedenborg
Central figure of the chapter; presented as the representative mystic with a systematic, visionary mind, but criticized for his later discord and grim cosmology.
- William Shakespeare
Mentioned as a refuge from the saints and as a counterpart to Swedenborg, representing the intellectual and poetic realm.
- Plato
Referenced for the doctrine of Reminiscence, which Emerson links to Swedenborg's intuitive knowledge.
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Mentioned in the context of the difficulty of proving originality among geniuses, alongside Swedenborg.
- Isaac Newton
Cited as a contemporary who published the Principia in the year of Swedenborg's birth, establishing universal gravity.
- Jesus Christ
Listed among those who work directly on the problem of essence, alongside Moses and Menu.
Key passages
“What is singular about this region of thought, is, its claim. Wherever the sentiment of right comes in, it takes precedence of everything else. For other things, I make poetry of them; but the moral sentiment makes poetry of me.”
The moral sentiment is unique in that it overrides all other considerations; while I can turn other subjects into poetry, the moral sentiment itself transforms me into poetry.
Emerson emphasizes the supreme authority of moral sentiment over intellect and art.
“If one should ask the reason of this intuition, the solution would lead us into that property which Plato denoted as Reminiscence, and which is implied by the Bramins in the tenet of Transmigration.”
The source of intuitive knowledge is explained by Plato's concept of Reminiscence and the Hindu belief in reincarnation, where the soul recalls knowledge from past lives.
Emerson links Swedenborg's intuitive access to truth with ancient philosophical and religious ideas.
“The universe, in his poem, suffers under a magnetic sleep, and only reflects the mind of the magnetizer. Every thought comes into each mind by influence from a society of spirits that surround it, and into these from a higher society, and so on.”
In Swedenborg's vision, the universe is passive and dreamlike, merely reflecting a higher mind; all thoughts are transmitted through a hierarchy of spirits.
Emerson criticizes Swedenborg's system for lacking individual will and vital spontaneity.