Join historian and author John S. Haller, Jr., for a virtual lecture series titled Swedenborg, Homeopathy and America’s Reform Tradition. Throughout this three-part series, John will discuss many of the fascinating topics that he’s written about in his books for the Swedenborg Foundation and the Swedenborg Society. This series will be hosted by the Swedenborg Society of London and co-sponsored by the Swedenborg Foundation and Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
Dates: Saturday, November 7, 14, and 21
Time: 7 p.m. London time, 2 p.m. Eastern, 11 a.m. Pacific
Where: Zoom Webinar (register for the link)
The event is free and open to the public. Registration is required in order to attend.
Lecture Descriptions
Lecture 1: My Discovery of Swedenborg and How My Books Came About
In the first lecture, John will take us through the foundations of his interest in Swedenborg and Swedenborgianism, from taking a course on existentialism in college to his background in the medical humanities. He will discuss the work of Mesmer, the theories of vitalism and materialism, the utopian Brook Farm experiment, and more.
Lecture 2: The Swedenborgian Influence on Homeopathy
In the second lecture, John will discuss the connection between Swedenborg and homoeopathy. He will employ the tools of his craft as a historian to provide an account of these two historical movements, which are not only interesting in their own right but are closely entwined. He will explain the context in which people like Swedenborg and Samuel Hahnemann, who developed homoeopathy, came to their ideas. What was it that led them to think in the manner that they did? How did their generation see and interpret the world? What principles did they believe in prior to drawing up their theories?
Lecture 3: America’s Reform Tradition: Swedenborg, New Church and the Doctrine of Uses
In the third and final lecture, John will guide the audience through how Swedenborg garnered such widespread interest across the world, and particularly in America. Why did this unpretentious and devout man resonate for so many Christians and non-Christians alike, influencing movements including Transcendentalism, homeopathy, spiritualism, and Zen Buddhism?
Dr. John S. Haller, Jr., is emeritus professor of history and medical humanities at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. He has written on subjects ranging from the history of race and sexuality to medicine, pharmacy, and spirituality. His most recent books include Distant Voices: Sketches of a Swedenborgian World View (Swedenborg Society, 2017) and Swedenborg’s Principles of Usefulness: Social Reform Thought from the Enlightenment to American Pragmatism (Swedenborg Foundation, 2020). Nautilus Silver Award Winner Swedenborg, Mesmer, and the Mind/Body Connection and The History of New Thought are also available through either the Swedenborg Foundation or the Swedenborg Society.
A 20% discount on these titles will be offered to those who register for the lecture series!