Episode #060 ... Kant pt. 5 - The Sublime

There are mysteries in life that are beyond the reach of language and human understanding. The speaker in this podcast discusses a mysterious concept that has eluded generations of people, including himself. Despite his extensive research and personal interest, he admits that he may never fully grasp the meaning of this concept. He finds comfort in the fact that he's not alone in this pursuit and that the very nature of this concept is ineffable, meaning it transcends the capabilities of language to be fully described. The speaker acknowledges that language is a useful tool for conveying basic ideas and emotions, but it falls short when it comes to describing things that are profound, powerful, and immense. This concept of ineffability has been applied to various ideas, including the idea of God, and it highlights the limitations of human language and understanding. Ultimately, the speaker encourages us to embrace the mystery and continue the pursuit of knowledge, even if it remains elusive.

The Sublime is an ineffable experience that transcends human description and understanding. It is often associated with encounters in nature, particularly during dangerous or awe-inspiring events, and has been reported across various cultures and time periods. The Sublime is not a religious experience per se, but rather a profound sense of the vastness and power of the world beyond human comprehension. It is a reminder of our insignificance in the face of the natural world's grandeur and complexity. The most common metaphor used to illustrate the Sublime is that of a ship lost at sea during a storm, facing the raw power and unpredictability of the natural world. The Sublime experience challenges our perception of the world and ourselves, and serves as a reminder of the beauty and mystery that exists beyond our everyday experiences.

The ocean, as described by ancient philosopher Longinus, is a powerful catalyst for sublime experiences due to its immense magnitude and raw power. The ocean's terrifying and unpredictable nature, filled with dangerous creatures and unforgiving environments, elicits feelings of awe and admiration that are not typically experienced with smaller bodies of water. Longinus believed that the ocean's greatness beyond calculation is what sets it apart and makes it worthy of our deepest admiration. Despite the inherent dangers, the ocean's sublime qualities continue to draw us in and inspire wonder.

The ocean, despite its inherent danger, holds a profound and awe-inspiring presence. Its eternal, unyielding nature serves as a constant reminder of the power and mystery of the natural world. Longinus, in the first century, recognized this power and suspected it to be a key component of experiencing the sublime. However, the concept of the sublime remains subjective and elusive, leaving many questions unanswered about its nature and authenticity. Nonetheless, the allure of the sublime has driven people to seek out experiences in nature, embracing the unknown and the power of the natural world.

The most compelling accounts of the sublime experience come from those who stumble upon it accidentally, rather than actively seeking it out. The mind's desire to justify what it wants to believe can cloud objective judgment. The sublime experience requires two key elements: greatness beyond measure and a fear for one's own life. Crossing the Alps in the 1700s, with its treacherous terrain and inherent danger, provided ample opportunity for such experiences. Diarists like John Dennis and Joseph Addison, who recorded their emotions during their Alpine crossings, described a seemingly paradoxical feeling of both delight and horror. This suggests a new way of aesthetically judging the world, deriving pleasure not from beauty alone, but from the experience of the sublime.

The concept of the sublime challenges our traditional understanding of aesthetics and beauty. Edmund Burke, in his work on the sublime, proposed that there is a unique type of pleasure derived from feeling a sense of danger or vastness, even though it may not be beautiful in the traditional sense. This idea challenges the notion that pleasure is the only factor that determines beauty and that ugliness necessarily brings pain. The sublime opens up new possibilities for understanding and experiencing the world aesthetically, beyond just the pleasurable or the beautiful. This idea, as discussed, has significant implications for how we perceive and engage with the world around us.

According to Edmund Burke, the sublime is a deeper, more real, and more important form of aesthetic judgment compared to beauty. Unlike beauty, which is more passive and involves finding enjoyment in something, the sublime stimulates the mind and evokes strong emotions. This concept was particularly appealing during the Enlightenment period, as a response to the intense momentum towards reason and empirical observation. The idea of the sublime inspired a romantic movement, where people sought out fear-inducing and distressful experiences to evoke sublime feelings. Artists have also tried to capture the sublime experience in their work, such as George Stubbs' "The Horse and Lion," to give viewers an extraordinary and profound experience. Despite the intriguing concept, I, the speaker, have not had a sublime experience as described by Burke.

People, especially veterans, may find a strange sense of pleasure or peace in recounting past traumatic experiences, particularly those related to war. This behavior may not be an attempt to come to terms with these experiences and move on, but rather a way to experience the sublime – a feeling of awe and wonder that can be elicited by confronting danger and the unknown. Edmund Burke, a philosopher, noted that the sublime is not just a higher degree of beauty, but a unique experience that can be found in both natural phenomena and human-made events. The reasons for this are not fully understood, but it may be related to the power of these experiences to challenge and expand our perception of the world.

According to philosophers Edmund Burke and Immanuel Kant, the concepts of beauty and the sublime are distinct and serve different purposes. While beauty is a more conventional and pleasurable experience, the sublime is a more profound and awe-inspiring one. Burke believed that the sublime experience required something troubling or unsettling, like the vastness of the ocean or the power of nature, to truly evoke emotion. Kant, on the other hand, saw the sublime as a way to expand our understanding of ourselves and our place in the world. Despite the intrigue surrounding these ideas, it's important to note that our understanding of the sublime is still evolving and open to interpretation. If you're fascinated by this concept and want to explore it further, stay tuned for future episodes where we'll delve deeper into the thoughts of philosophers like Arthur Schopenhauer.