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Philosophy

The Aesthetics of Tragedy and the Cathartic Experience

Quick fact

Aristotle argued in his Poetics that tragedy, through arousing pity and fear, achieves a 'catharsis' of these emotions—a concept that has intrigued philosophers for centuries and remains central to understanding tragic art.

Why this is interesting

You weep at a tragic film, yet you leave the theater feeling strangely uplifted. Why do we seek out stories that break our hearts?