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Philosophy

The Aesthetics of the Sublime in Art and Nature

Quick fact

The term 'sublime' comes from the Latin 'sublimis,' meaning 'up to the limit' or 'lofty,' and was first systematically analyzed by the Roman writer Longinus in the 1st century AD, but its modern aesthetic sense was developed by Edmund Burke and Immanuel Kant.

Why this is interesting

You've likely stood before a towering mountain or a raging ocean and felt both small and uplifted—why does something terrifying also feel profoundly meaningful?