Swedenborg's Principles of Usefulness

Swedenborg's Principles of Usefulness highlights Emanuel Swedenborg's (1688-1772) widespread influence on an impressive host of historical figures, from poets and artists to philosophers and statesmen. His idea that our purpose in life is both to love others and to find practical ways to improve their lives led many to take on social reforms that vitalized the American landscape during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Author John Haller 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.