Reviews for Scientist Explores Spirit: A Biography of Emanuel Swedenborg with Key Concepts of His Theology

The average rating for Scientist Explores Spirit: A Biography of Emanuel Swedenborg with Key Concepts of His Theology based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2013-05-27 00:00:00 Nigel Rabbetts This was definitely not a biography written like a novel as advertised on the cover. It was a long, detailed and extremely well-researched book about a shadowy figure, Francisco Franco, who dominated Spanish politics for most of the 20th Century. Having visited Spain many times, I found it surprising that a fascist dictatorship existed there well into the '70s (and there was a proto-fascist uprising that was fortunately unsuccessful in 1981). Wanting to learn more about this mysterious 3rd totalitarian ruler that survived his friends Musolllini and Hitler, I read this Preston biography (honestly there are not a lot of other choices) and was both saddened and depressed from what I learned. For one thing, the cost of the Spanish Civil War was 500,000 lives plus famine-like conditions for over a decade after it ended and continued imprisonment and execution of Republicans for even longer. Franco manipulated both the Allies and the Axis during WW2 by pretending to want to join the war with Italy and Germany and yet making overtures to the UK and the USA about remaining neutral - in both cases, just to reap the benefits of victory while paying the minimal price. He accumulated as much power as the medieval kings he adored and emulated and ruled with an arbitrary, heavy hand on overtly fascist principles. It was particularly heinous that until the 50s, he had the full, unequivocal support of the Vatican despite what everyone knew about the atrocities he committed during his africanista phase and throughout his self-imposed mandate. Postwar US and UK foreign policy had shamefully short memories in their off and on backing of the regime. Spain is fortunate to have had a more democratic spirit in Juan Carlos after such a dark period in her history. It was also interesting to see that the balance of power under Franco was between the fascist Falangist movement and the militantly Catholic and royalist Carlist faction, both of which participated actively and knowingly in atrocity after atrocity while being at one another's throats but under Franco's thumb for over 30 years. Other reviewers on GR have found this book's author to have taken an anti-Franco editorial line throughout the book. While indeed this book offers little praiseworthy about the Caudillo, I believe the author was relatively distant from his subject (meaning he did not express personal opinions but rather documented facts) and he does not come off in this reader's mind as judgmental beyond the objective reality he describes. I found it a bit long at times with copious details on each of the various cabinet shuffled as Franco divided and ruled, but it was educational and informative.

Review # 2 was written on 2011-03-08 00:00:00 William Shumaker Although a very informative and interesting book, its author is clearly, from the first pages, ill disposed and biased against the subject of this biography. Thus the author commits the cardinal sin of the historian and biographer, which is tainting clear, objective facts with subjective, uncalled-for, damning personal opinions and innuendo about the person portrayed so the reader somehow feels like the author is trying to lead him by the nose into sharing his convictions.