Friedemann Stengel

'Humanism' is among the most powerful terms in historical and contemporary political, religious, and philosophical debates. The term serves to position itself in ideological conflicts and to cement a claim to interpretation, but is highly contradictory. This Element addresses 'humanism' in its striking contradictions. Contemporary definitions are confronted with the historical contexts the term 'humanism' is applied to. Based on Niethammer's invention of 'humanism' as an anti-enlightenment pedagogical concept (1808), the book does not present a mere conceptual history, but rather a theoretically oriented discourse, an examination of the front positions, between which humanism has been constructed. In this way, its 'impossibility' is shown, which is rooted in its strict contextuality. Secondly, historiographical alternatives to this dilemma are pointed out, in order to finally give suggestions not only for an ethical-normative work of the historian of humanism, but for dealing with 'humanism' in general, in connection with discourse-theoretical suggestions. This title is also available as open access on Cambridge Core.

'Humanism' is among the most powerful terms in historical and contemporary political, religious, and philosophical debates. The term serves to position itself in ideological conflicts and to cement a claim to interpretation, but is highly contradictory. This Element addresses 'humanism' in its striking contradictions. Contemporary definitions are confronted with the historical contexts the term 'humanism' is applied to. Based on Niethammer's invention of 'humanism' as an anti-enlightenment pedagogical concept (1808), the book does not present a mere conceptual history, but rather a theoretically oriented discourse, an examination of the front positions, between which humanism has been constructed. In this way, its 'impossibility' is shown, which is rooted in its strict contextuality. Secondly, historiographical alternatives to this dilemma are pointed out, in order to finally give suggestions not only for an ethical-normative work of the historian of humanism, but for dealing with 'humanism' in general, in connection with discourse-theoretical suggestions. This title is also available as open access on Cambridge Core.

Enlightenment All the Way to Heaven: Emanuel Swedenborg in the Context of Eighteenth-Century Theology and Philosophy is an English translation of Friedemann Stengel's 2009 German habilitation (qualifying) thesis, which was published by Mohr Siebeck T bingen in 2011, Aufkl rung bis zum Himmel: Emanuel Swedenborg im Kontext der Theologie und Philosophie des 18. Jahrhunderts. In this volume, Stengel provides a survey of Swedenborg's philosophical influences, as well as an assessment of Swedenborg's own influence on the German theology of his time, thereby giving the reader new insight into the nature of the Enlightenment. Exploring Swedenborg's many inspirations, from Plato to Aristotle, Augustine to Descartes, and Malebranche to Leibniz, just to name a few, Stengel shows the breadth of their impact on Swedenborg and the resultant sophistication of the Swedish prophet's ideas. By broadening the conversation surrounding Swedenborg's source and reception histories, Stengel hopes to counter the reductive lenses through which certain of Swedenborg's experiences have been filtered. In the author's own words, "this will serve to highlight the perspectives contained within the historical discourse, tracing their seminal influence on later religious and philosophical discussions that, in turn, gave rise, from the eighteenth century onward, to the psychohistorical interpretations of associated supernatural phenomena such as Swedenborg's visionary propensity." Enlightenment All the Way to Heaven is the twenty-fourth installment in the Swedenborg Studies scholarly series.

Aus dem Vergangenen kommen und im Heute leben, aber wissen wollen, was die Zukunft bringt – dieser Wunsch nach Voraus-Wissen gehört wohl zur conditio humana. Die Menschen haben im Laufe der Zeit je nach Kultur unterschiedlich ausgeformte Verfahren und Techniken der Zukunftsschau entwickelt. Der neue Band der BThZ geht dieser Frage im Gespräch zwischen theologischen, historischen und naturwissenschaftlichen Fächern nach.

In den Träumen eines Geistersehers (1766) ist Swedenborg von Immanuel Kant ins "Hospital" verbannt und zugleich zum "Erzphantasten" erklärt worden. Dieses scharfe Verdikt dürfte erheblichen Anteil daran gehabt haben, dass der Name Swedenborgs aus der offiziellen Geschichtsschreibung weitestgehend verschwunden ist, obwohl die Schriften des Naturphilosophen und Theologen Swedenborg von vielen Zeitgenossen gelesen worden sind. Sein umfangreiches Werk, das aus der mechanistischen Naturphilosophie, aus der zeitgenössischen Seelen- und Hirnforschung, aus dem Leibniz-Wolffschen Rationalismus und vor dem Hintergrund der lutherischen Theologie konstruiert worden ist, stellt Friedemann Stengel im Hinblick gerade auf seine überraschenden Quellen dar. Der Entstehungshintergrund, vor allem aber Swedenborgs wirkungsvolle Rezeption eröffnet eine unerwartete Perspektive auf die Aufklärung.