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A History of Ideas: Edmund Burke on the Sublime

Harry Shearer on Edmund Burke and the Sublime

What is the difference between the beautiful and the sublime? This question was central to Edmund Burke’s ‘A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful’, published in 1757. In this short film, Harry Shearer talks us through Burke’s theory and shows how the distinction between the beautiful and the sublime cuts to the core of our sense of self preservation and how that influenced the Romantic movement.

Want to hear more on this topic?

Here’s the whole episode from A History of Ideas - Barry Smith on the Philosophy of good taste.

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