A B S T R A C T
Arendt on the Sublime
Susanna Snell
M Soc Sci., researcher, Department of
Social and Moral Philosophy
University of Helsinki
Arendt's famous and incomplete "theory of judgment"
is based on a highly selective reading of Kant.
Instead of condemning her for this selectiveness, I will
show that her selective reading is intentional, and
that in paying attention to both what she incorporates in
her thought and what she omits, is a key to understanding
her own thinking. With a comparative reading of Kant's and
Arendt's thoughts on judgment we get a clearer grasp of her
understanding of judging. There are many significant parts
in Kant's Critique of Judgement that Arendt discards when
developing her own account. She rejects completely the idea
of purposiveness central to Kant's judgements of beauty.
This should make Kant's analysis of the sublime more
interesting to her, especially since the sublime has a more
intimate
connection with morality.
Why is Arendt not more attracted to Kant's thoughts on
sublime in relation to her thinking on judgement? What does
she think is Kant's discussion on the sublime is about? I
will draw on some of Arendt's unpublished lecture courses
to show how she reads Kant on the sublime. This will
clarify her concept of judgement, and help also in
understanding the difference between thinking and judging
that at times is quite elusive in her thought.
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