Episode 107: Edmund Burke on the Sublime

Summary: On A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful (1756), parts I, II, and his later intro essay, "On Taste."<br> Are people's tastes basically the same? Burke says yes: they're rooted in our common reactions to pain and pleasure, those two are not opposites, but simply quite different properties, each associated with a different set of responses. When we are aesthetically pleased by something big, indistinct, and maybe scary, Burke calls that a judgment that it's sublime.<br> Mark, Seth, and Dylan are joined by guest <a href="http://www.amirzaki.com/" target="_blank">Amir Zaki</a> to wander the through the field of ideas of this slim, rich, and breezy text. Not at all sublime! <a href="http://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2014/12/19/topic107-burke/" target="_blank">Read more about the topic and get the text</a>.<br> End song: "Stoobis in the Sky," by <a href="http://marklint.com/samples.html" target="_blank">Mark Lint</a> and friends, recording started in 2012 and completed for this episode. <a href="http://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2015/01/01/stoobis/" target="_blank">Read about it</a>.<br> <a href="http://partiallyexaminedlife.com/product/pel-2015-calendar/" target="_blank">There are still copies of the 2015 PEL philosopher wall calendar left!</a> Or you can support the podcast by <a href="http://partiallyexaminedlife.com/membership-options/" target="_blank">becoming a PEL Citizen</a> or <a href="http://partiallyexaminedlife.com/shopdonate/" target="_blank">making a donation</a>.<br> The Burke picture is by <a href="http://www.instagram.com/sterlingbartlett" target="_blank">Sterling Bartlett</a>.<br>