We’re proud to announce that our latest Swedenborg Studies Series title Swedenborg’s Principles of Usefulness: Social Reform Thought from the Enlightenment to American Pragmatism is now available in hardcover and as an e-book.
In this book, author John S. Haller, Jr., explores Emanuel Swedenborg’s widespread influence on an impressive host of historical figures—from poets and artists to philosophers and statesmen—and reform movements whose contributions to the evolution of self and society have resonated throughout time and into the present.
With love for one’s neighbor sharing pride of place among Swedenborg’s ideas, it comes as no surprise that his outlook on human interaction worked its way into the various social reform movements that vitalized the American landscape during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. From the more politically oriented single-tax movement of Henry George to the utopian aspirations of Charles Fourier and the more spiritually inclined social gospel and pastoral clinical movements, those who took Swedenborg’s principles of usefulness to heart sought ways to reflect the divine design in human society.
Haller’s treatment of the era draws a magnifying glass to those intellectual titans whose fortitude in the face of psychological and social adversities stands as a testament to the robustness of Swedenborg’s concept of usefulness. As James F. Lawrence, Dean of the Center for Swedenborgian Studies at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, so aptly states in his foreword, “this book tells stories and builds perspectives that will prove without a doubt to be very useful.”
Order Swedenborg’s Principles of Usefulness >
You’re also welcome to place your order over the phone by contacting our Constituent Service Representative Regina Lee at 610-430-3222, ext. 100.
Our annual members receive 20% off all purchases in our online bookstore. Please visit this page if you’d like to become an annual member or want to learn more about membership benefits.
More from the Swedenborg Studies Series
Swedenborg Studies is our scholarly series in which we publish or republish original studies, English translations, and primary sources that are otherwise difficult to access. These books help bring a greater understanding of the life and thought of Emanuel Swedenborg and of the impact his thought has had on others. Browse the other titles in this series >
Other titles by author John S. Haller, Jr.
Related reading
How Usefulness Became a Cornerstone Swedenborgian Spiritual Growth Method by James F. Lawrence
What Do American Pragmatism, Swedenborg, and Zen Hold in Common? by John S. Haller, Jr.
Visit our Scholars on Swedenborg blog to find more free essays and articles written by Swedenborgian academics who place emphasis on how religious pluralism has been used to solve some of the most pressing issues of the past and present.
Support the Swedenborg Studies Series
Donations provide direct support to our ongoing publishing program and scholarly initiatives! Learn more about how your generosity supports our programs or make a donation online now. You can also contact Membership and Development Coordinator Gwen Williams at 610-430-3222, ext. 109. If you’d like to learn about other giving opportunities, such as IRA distributions, legacy gifts, trust funds, and more, contact Director of Development Tim Bilger at 610-430-3222, ext. 101.
