The Soul, or Rational Psychology

method, his reasoning from experience, climbing the ladder of knowledge from observation original: a posteriori; reasoning from observed effects to discover their causes up to the higher and internal principles. From those principles, he could then descend back into a true philosophy of nature and of humanity. The overlap between the research of Aristotle and Swedenborg regarding the soul is striking to any historian. This is seen not necessarily in the similarity of their findings—though there are remarkable instances of this—but in their similar methods and ways of approaching the deeply hidden object of their search. Both used the experimental method, and this led them into very similar paths of investigation.

As evidence of this, consider the contents of the series of Aristotle's writings in which his work On the Soul original: περὶ ψυχῆς (peri psyches) occurs. They are as follows: four books on the Parts of Animals; five books on the Generation of Animals; to which are added treatises on the Walking of Animals, on the Motion of Animals, and on the Spirit. There are also three books on the Soul; to which are added treatises on Sense and the Sensitive; on Memory; on Sleep and Dreams; on Length and Shortness of Life; on Youth and Old Age; on Life and Death; and on Respiration.

So that our reader may compare at a glance the methods of discussion as well as the thoughts advanced by these two great psychologists of inductive reasoning Inductive reasoning starts with specific observations to reach broad conclusions—the leaders of ancient and modern learning respectively—I have thought it appropriate to include as an appendix to this work a series of random extracts from Taylor’s translation of Aristotle’s On the Soul original: De Anima, etc. (see Appendix III).

Swedenborg’s admiration for his illustrious master and predecessor in inductive research was great. He assigned Aristotle the highest place among the world’s great teachers, as shown by the titles he often and endearingly used when referring to him, such as the “Chief Philosopher of the Gentiles” and “Our Philosopher.”* Yet, Swedenborg was no blind follower of even so revered a teacher, nor did he hesitate to differ from him on the important question of how the body and soul interact.

Historically, three doctrines had prevailed in the learned world regarding the interaction of mind and matter. The first, which Swedenborg called Physical Influx, was taught by Aristotle and later by the Schoolmen Medieval theologians and philosophers who taught in European universities during the early period of Christian learning. After this came the doctrine of Spiritual or Occasional Influx, as taught by Descartes and his followers. Finally, Leibnitz introduced his doctrine of Pre-established Harmony†, which he believed was the only way to reconcile the two. Swedenborg, agreeing fully with none of them, sought to reconcile all three by extracting and combining the truth within each. The resulting theory he named the Doctrine of Correspondence, a doctrine which rests upon equally philosophical...