Dreams of a Spirit-seer and Other Writings

Dreams of a Spirit-Seer , Immanuel Kant’s book on Emanuel Swedenborg, has mystified readers since its publication in 1766 during Swedenborg’s lifetime. The unusual style and content of Dreams have given rise to two opposing interpretations. Most Kant scholars regard the work as a skeptical attack on Swedenborg’s mysticism. Other critics, however, believe that Kant regarded Swedenborg as a serious philosopher and visionary, and that Dreams both reveals Kant’s profound debt to Swedenborg and coneals that debt behind the mask of irony.

In addition, Dr. Gregory R. Johnson provides selections from other Kantian writings that mention Swedenborg and also contemporary reviews of Dreams , showing that Kant himself was ambivalent about Swedenborg’s claims and that readers of his day questioned his position.

With its extensive notes, this work is an invaluable resource for students of Kant and of Swedenborg.