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Friday, June 8, 2007

The Sublime vs. The Merely Beautiful

posted by on June 8 at 8:35 AM

Gold%20Sounds.jpg
Photo of Fnarf (c) 2007 John E. Hollingsworth.

The concept of “beauty” as imagined by the Platonic philosophers is inadequate to describe all of the fearful and irregular forms of nature. The conventional beauty of the Northwest (expressed in mountains, evergreen trees, blue skies, blue water) fails to full range of feelings aroused by this gold man. These feelings can be called “the sublime.”

While Plato believed that the beautiful and the sublime were harmonious, later thinkers such as Edmund Burke and Immanuel Kant recognized that there was a depth of experience, characterized by awe and an awareness of the “dark, uncertain, and confused”, that simple beauty, however pleasurable, could never encompass. The gold man in nature brings to us what Schopenhauer called “the fullest feeling of sublime”—the immensity of the universe’s extent, and pleasure from one’s oneness with nature.

This picture, however, is merely beautiful.

ash-grove.jpg
Photo of Ash Grove Cement, Seattle, (c) 2007 by Fnarf.

RSS icon Comments

1

oh. burn.

do adrian next!!

Posted by seattle98104 | June 8, 2007 8:39 AM
2

Nice Charles Mudede impersonation!

Posted by Sally Struthers Lawnchair | June 8, 2007 8:40 AM
3

BURN!!! BURN!!! BUUUURRRNNN!!!!1!

Posted by Mr. Poe | June 8, 2007 8:41 AM
4

It's not a burn, it's a tribute.

Posted by Fnarf | June 8, 2007 8:41 AM
5

THIS HUMOR MAKES ME WANNA HURL

Posted by hurrk | June 8, 2007 8:43 AM
6

Charles Mudede is black.

Posted by Josh Feit | June 8, 2007 8:45 AM
7

O RLY!

Posted by Mr. Poe | June 8, 2007 8:46 AM
8

Kicking a cripple...

Posted by Bison | June 8, 2007 8:49 AM
9

Fnarf's package is pretty intense.

Posted by sniggles | June 8, 2007 8:52 AM
10

Are you wearing a cup?

Posted by Sally Struthers Lawnchair | June 8, 2007 8:54 AM
11

hmmm... looks like a friend of andre.

Posted by jimlaughing | June 8, 2007 8:58 AM
12

Nabokov had a similar concept he called "aesthetic bliss". And, this is perfect. Keep it coming.

Posted by Aislinn | June 8, 2007 9:03 AM
13

When dudes wear cups, it's either to hide their small package, or hide their small package from feet.

Posted by METADATA_SOURCE | June 8, 2007 9:04 AM
14

Damn, Fnarf looks hung.

Posted by Brad | June 8, 2007 9:07 AM
15

I always thought the cement factory looked like the worlds most bitchen ride. Had I been a braver man I would have broken in and ridden those cool conveyor things.

Posted by Giffy | June 8, 2007 9:09 AM
16

I'm betting on codpiece.

Posted by j | June 8, 2007 9:17 AM
17

First!

Posted by Anthony Hecht | June 8, 2007 9:19 AM
18

@16, wouldn't he have to be wearing it on the outside then?

Posted by COMTE | June 8, 2007 9:21 AM
19

"Nice Charles Mudede impersonation!"

please, that is nowhere near me. and besides, my aesthetics are drawn from marcuse and other marxist readings.

Posted by charles mudede | June 8, 2007 9:23 AM
20

It's splendid Satire. And yes, Charles, it's quite close enough for Freaky Friday. :-)

Posted by Sachi | June 8, 2007 9:26 AM
21

Thanks for my first good laugh of the day.

Posted by Matthew | June 8, 2007 9:28 AM
22

Charles, what did you think of their comments on the SIFF podcast (i just thought of codpiece typing podcast)? Zizek is kind of a disgusting looking bear, no? He's no Fnarf.

Posted by Garrett | June 8, 2007 9:29 AM
23

It's a boxing cup. That suit is, uh, rather form-fitting. Fnarf has no limits but other people do.

Posted by Fnarf | June 8, 2007 9:31 AM
24

This could be a great day.
Exellent post, Fnarf.

Posted by Eric in Boulder | June 8, 2007 9:46 AM
25

@19

Oh come on.

Posted by Mr. Poe | June 8, 2007 9:47 AM
26

Close enough for rock and roll Charles.

Posted by Sally Struthers Lawnchair | June 8, 2007 9:58 AM
27

clap, clap, clap.

Despite Charles' protestation, this is well done.

Nice one, Fnarf.

Not exactly the same as Charles, but parody never is.

Posted by SDA in SEA | June 8, 2007 10:11 AM
28

I believe Schopenhauer would have recognized the gold man for what he is - the first place trophy in an amateur bowling tournament.

(Sean, imitating himself replying to one of Charle's posts.)

Posted by Sean | June 8, 2007 10:37 AM
29

Bwaaahahahaha!

That was fucking awesome.

I'm waiting for the ECB parody. Should be easy, but I have high hopes that whoever does it will reach a little and really surprise is.

Posted by Judah | June 8, 2007 10:55 AM
30

Fnarf, are you a lycra perv? That is soooooooooooo good to know.

Posted by Mark Mitchell | June 8, 2007 11:14 AM
31

I used to work at the site of that photo, sweeping up concrete dust in the vast hold of a ship. Five minutes after you'd swept up a spot and moved on, the fine dust would resettle where you'd been--all you'd accomplished was turning your hair to concrete (removable by washing with vinegar). But the place is even more beautiful from deep inside a ship, viewed through wafting, shifting clouds of concrete dust. Ash Grove Cement is the most beautiful sculpture in Seattle.

Posted by Tim Appelo | June 8, 2007 11:38 AM
32

Fnarf in a gold unitard! I'm blind! I'm blind!

Posted by gillian | June 8, 2007 2:51 PM
33

MSN I NIIPET
MSN

Posted by Bill | June 12, 2007 2:48 PM
34

MSN I NIIPET
MSN

Posted by Bill | June 12, 2007 2:48 PM
35

MSN I NIIPET
MSN

Posted by Bill | June 12, 2007 2:48 PM
36

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Posted by qdnr xzdmbhyrn | June 14, 2007 11:43 AM
37

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Posted by qdnr xzdmbhyrn | June 14, 2007 11:44 AM
38

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Posted by geptmq wglr | June 14, 2007 11:45 AM
39

F7HVFI Hey, there is what you need.

Posted by AAS | June 16, 2007 7:12 PM
40

F7HVFI Hey, there is what you need.

Posted by AAS | June 16, 2007 7:12 PM
41

F7HVFI Hey, there is what you need.

Posted by AAS | June 16, 2007 7:12 PM

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