41 pages • 1 hour read
Edmund BurkeA Philosophical Enquiry Into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1756A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
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Edmund Burke asserts that all humans have the same taste. The development of that taste varies in degrees, but the core of all taste is the same in every person. Do you agree or disagree with this argument? What does “taste” mean to you, and how does your conception compare to Burke’s?
How do colonialism and racism play a role in Burke’s understanding of aesthetics? How might his ideas be updated to fit a modern context?
According to Burke, what role does the imagination play in the development of art and taste? How might modern understandings of the imagination contribute to how philosophers think about art and art criticism?
Compare Edmund Burke’s work with aesthetics to the perspectives of Immanuel Kant. How do their theories overlap? How do they differ?
Compare and contrast neoclassical and Romantic conceptions of beauty, the sublime, and aesthetics. How does Burke reflect the historical transition from one movement to the other? How are his ideas reflected in the works of some Romantic thinkers and artists?
What philosophers influenced Burke? What philosophers were influenced by Burke? How does Burke fit into the tradition of philosophy of art?
How does the concept of the sublime influence your interpretation of contemporary art forms? What modern examples of art could be understood through the lens of the sublime?
What is the purpose of defining beauty and the sublime? Burke claims that doing so helps us to develop “a distinct knowledge of our passions” (103). How does understanding human passions contribute to knowledge, society, and/or the arts?
What makes something beautiful? Can beauty be quantified? Why or why not?
