The sublime evolved: On how the theory of evolution can account for the Kantian experience of the sublime
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2021-08-31
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en
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Abstract
In this thesis I examine how the experience of the sublime, as described by Immanuel Kant, can be explained from an evolutionary perspective. The theory of evolution can seemingly account for the existence of our sense of beauty, yet, for the judgement of the sublime, no explanatory theories seem to have been developed so far. However, much empirical research has been conducted into the psychological variant of the sublime: awe. After demonstrating that the sublime and a variant of awe, that is, aesthetic awe, refer to the same experience, I use the results of the studies on awe. These results substantiate the explanation of how and why the judgement of the sublime could have evolved. Most importantly, to be in awe and thus to experience the sublime, provokes altruism in man. Since altruism has been beneficial to the survival of man, this appears to be a plausible evolutionary explanation for the sublime.
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Faculteit der Filosofie, Theologie en Religiewetenschappen