Vincent Roy-Di Piazza
Research Topic
Anatomy of Revelation: soul-body interaction in the anatomical, philosophical and theological writings of Emanuel Swedenborg
My doctoral research focuses on the soul-body interaction theories of Swedish civil servant, natural philosopher and mystical theologian Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772). Soul-body interaction is one of the few themes Swedenborg explored during all his life, both prior and after he claimed to have received the ability to speak with the spirits of the dead.
I am particularly interested in analysing and deconstructing traditional scholarship about Swedenborg, and showing how a new study of Swedenborg's epistemological perspective might shed new light on the early modern religious foundations of scientific knowledge.
My broader themes of research include Nordic and French history, Swedenborg's global influence and religious posterity, the religious Enlightenment, natural theology, the plurality of worlds debate, history of anatomy, history of allegory, scientific fictions and epistemology.
Supervisor: Professor Robert Iliffe
Current doctoral scholarships:
Gilbert Ryle Scholar in Philosophy of Science, Arts and Humanities Research Council Doctoral Training Partnership, Doctoral Scholar of the Swedenborg Society (first recipient)
Education:
2012: BA in English Studies, Sorbonne Nouvelle
2015: BA in Nordic Studies, Sorbonne
2018: MA in Religious Sciences, Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes (EPHE) / Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) (First class honours)
2018: MA in History and Philosophy of Science, Ecole Normale Supérieure (ENS Ulm) / Université Paris Diderot (P7) (First class honours)
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