When I first heard mention of the sublime before I fully understood what Kant meant by the term I asked my friends on face book what had ever given them a sublime moment. Most turned to films, the opening of Hugo, Avatar, V for Vendetta. At first I believed there was a lot that transferred to a sublime moment, taking it simply as a moment where you are transcended out of your reality by an event. At a base level this is true, however what seems to really define the sublime for Kant is what the experience causes. It is not enough to have a moment out of the scope of our imagination but this has to cause us to realize the limits if our own imagination in comparison to nature but to rise through this and come to belief in our own possibilities as the human race in the face of the power of nature.
The sublime falls into two categories, the dynamic or the mathematical. The dynamic is the forceful overwhelming of the senses whilst mathematical refers to the concept of infinity or numbers that are to large to comprehend. A volcanic explosion would be an example of the dynamic while the scale and scope of space in comparison to man is a mathematical sublime.
These days when asked for a sublime moment most people think more to an 'epic' moment, epic is a very popular coined phrase these days and can, as the nostalgia chick put it used to reference anything from tacos to haircuts. Whilst I enjoy epic moments, once I realized its difference from the Kantian sublime, I became very saddened as I don't think I have ever experienced a moment of the sublime. Neither dynamic or mathematical. Now that is not to say I don't understand that space is infinitely larger than my world or myself however having an understanding of the concept and seeing the reality of it is two very different things.
Having just finished my essay on the subject I am, fair to say, a little burnt out on the sublime. Should I have more time I will hopefully come back and look into this in more detail but as it stands above is the basics to understanding what Kant means by the sublime.
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