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will be especially considered, but notes concerning his numerous
con-tributions to pliysics, and also to chemistry, will be found in Vols. 1.
and III. of this series.
As concerns the printed Principia, Swedenborg has divided it into
three parts. The contents of the first and tliird parts are for the
most part contained in the hitherto unprinted Principia, published
below.1-191 They are mainly of a natural philosophical content, whicli
is also referred to by Swedenborg in the Appendix to the printed
Principia.3C0 On the other hand the second part is of physical
content and Swedenborg there renders an account of a great number of
experiments with the magnet. In this second part there are also found
numerous references to the works of other investigators, while such
references are altogether lacking in the first and third parts, whicli
are clearly based exclusively upon the author’s philosophical thinking.
Of the first and second parts a summary by Swedenborg has been
printed,207-202 corresponding for the most part to the portions italicized by
Swedenborg in the printed Principia. The third part, whicli chiefly
contains the presentation of Swedenborg’s cosmology, has been reprinted
unabridged.203-308 It is also without doubt this part of Swedenborg’s scientific
writings which more than any other has attracted general attention.
In order to obtain a general view of the contents of this extended
work I have made a comparative investigation of the general conceptions
in Swedenborg’s time concerning matter and especially concerning the
cosmological problems, the results of which I here reproduce.
Chemistry in those times occupied a very undeveloped standpoint. The
four elements set up by Empedokles still governed the presentation of the
Chemical phenomena. In physical considerations, however, the
conceptions admitted in chemistry were considerably modified. Descartes, wlio
without doubt exercised the greatest influence on Swedexborg’s views,
supposed that originally there was only one kind of material particles.
By their striking each other their corners were knocked off, so that
there were formed particles completely round and transparent, which
were called »particles of the second kind». Out of the knocked off
corners there was formed a fine dust of »particles of the first kind»,
which formed the fixed stars. They corresponded to the fire or light
particles of those times. By their condensation there were formed opaque
grosser »particles of the third kind», which occur in the sun spots; and
by their further condensation were formed »particles of the fourth kind»,
which constitute the earth’s crust.
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