This Element considers Kant's account of the sublime in the context of his predecessors both in the Anglophone and German rationalist traditions. Since Kant says with evident endorsement that 'we call sublime that which is absolutely great' (Critique of the Power of Judgment, 5:248) and nothing in nature can in fact be absolutely great (it can only figure as such, in certain presentations), Kant concludes that strictly speaking what is sublime can only be the human calling (Bestimmung) to perfect our rational capacity according to the standard of virtue that is thought through the moral law. The Element takes account of the difference between respect and admiration as the two main varieties of sublime feeling, and concludes by considering the role of Stoicism in Kant's account of the sublime, particularly through the channel of Seneca.
It is striking that, although philosophers have theories about the values of truth, goodness and beauty, they do not provide an account of the value of "depth," which is also frequently referred to in our everyday evaluative discourse. In Depth, Melissa Zinkin provides one of the few philosophical accounts of depth. Moreover, she does this through a new interpretation of the philosophy of Immanuel Kant. By showing that Kant was in fact arguing for this unique and important value, Zinkin shows how Kant is still relevant to contemporary philosophical discussions of value. Indeed, Kant's philosophy has much to offer anyone today who is critical of superficial or shallow thinking.
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