the critique of judgement-第23节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


ubject；　and　not　in　the　object　of　nature　that　occasions　this　attitude　by　the　estimate　formed　of　it。　Who　would　apply　the　term　〃sublime〃　even　to　shapeless　mountain　masses　towering　one　above　the　other　in　wild　disorder；　with　their　pyramids　of　ice；　or　to　the　dark　tempestuous　ocean；　or　such　like　things？　But　in　the　contemplation　of　them；　without　any　regard　to　their　form；　the　mind　abandons　itself　to　the　imagination　and　to　a　reason　placed；　though　quite　apart　from　any　definite　end；　in　conjunction　therewith；　and　merely　broadening　its　view；　and　it　feels　itself　elevated　in　its　own　estimate　of　itself　on　finding　all　the　might　of　imagination　still　unequal　to　its　ideas。　　　We　get　examples　of　the　mathematically　sublime　of　nature　in　mere　intuition　in　all　those　instances　where　our　imagination　is　afforded；　not　so　much　a　greater　numerical　concept　as　a　large　unit　as　measure　（for　shortening　the　numerical　series）。　A　tree　judged　by　the　height　of　man　gives；　at　all　events；　a　standard　for　a　mountain；　and；　supposing　this　is；　say；　a　mile　high；　it　can　serve　as　unit　for　the　number　expressing　the　earth's　diameter；　so　as　to　make　it　intuitable；　similarly　the　earth's　diameter　for　the　known　planetary　system；　this　again　for　the　system　of　the　Milky　Way；　and　the　immeasurable　host　of　such　systems；　which　go　by　the　name　of　nebulae；　and　most　likely　in　turn　themselves　form　such　a　system；　holds　out　no　prospect　of　a　limit。　Now　in　the　aesthetic　estimate　of　such　an　immeasurable　whole；　the　sublime　does　not　lie　so　much　in　the　greatness　of　the　number；　as　in　the　fact　that　in　our　onward　advance　we　always　arrive　at　proportionately　greater　units。　The　systematic　division　of　the　cosmos　conduces　to　this　result。　For　it　represents　all　that　is　great　in　nature　as　in　turn　becoming　little；　or；　to　be　more　exact；　it　represents　our　imagination　in　all　its　boundlessness；　and　with　it　nature；　as　sinking　into　insignificance　before　the　ideas　of　reason；　once　their　adequate　presentation　is　attempted。

　　　　　　　　　SS　27。　Quality　of　the　delight　in　our　estimate　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　of　the　sublime。

　　The　feeling　of　our　incapacity　to　attain　to　an　idea　that　is　a　law　for　us；　is　respect。　Now　the　idea　of　the　comprehension　of　any　phenomenon　whatever；　that　may　be　given　us；　in　a　whole　of　intuition；　is　an　idea　imposed　upon　us　by　a　law　of　reason；　which　recognizes　no　definite；　universally　valid　and　unchangeable　measure　except　the　absolute　whole。　But　our　imagination；　even　when　taxing　itself　to　the　uttermost　on　the　score　of　this　required　comprehension　of　a　given　object　in　a　whole　of　intuition　（and　so　with　a　view　to　the　presentation　of　the　idea　of　reason）；　betrays　its　limits　and　its　inadequacy；　but　still；　at　the　same　time；　its　proper　vocation　of　making　itself　adequate　to　the　same　as　law。　Therefore　the　feeling　of　the　sublime　in　nature　is　respect　for　our　own　vocation；　which　we　attribute　to　an　object　of　nature　by　a　certain　subreption　（substitution　of　a　respect　for　the　object　in　place　of　one　for　the　idea　of　humanity　in　our　own　self…the　subject）；　and　this　feeling　renders；　as　it　were；　intuitable　the　supremacy　of　our　cognitive　faculties　on　the　rational　side　over　the　greatest　faculty　of　sensibility。　　　The　feeling　of　the　sublime　is；　therefore；　at　once　a　feeling　of　displeasure；　arising　from　the　inadequacy　of　imagination　in　the　aesthetic　estimation　of　magnitude　to　attain　to　its　estimation　by　reason；　and　a　simultaneously　awakened　pleasure；　arising　from　this　very　judgement　of　the　inadequacy　of　the　greatest　faculty　of　sense　being　in　accord　with　ideas　of　reason；　so　far　as　the　effort　to　attain　to　these　is　for　us　a　law。　It　is；　in　other　words；　for　us　a　law　（of　reason）；　which　goes　to　make　us　what　we　are；　that　we　should　esteem　as　small　in　comparison　with　ideas　of　reason　everything　which　for　us　is　great　in　nature　as　an　object　of　sense；　and　that　which　makes　us　alive　to　the　feeling　of　this　supersensible　side　of　our　being　harmonizes　with　that　law。　Now　the　greatest　effort　of　the　imagination　in　the　presentation　of　the　unit　for　the　estimation　of　magnitude　involves　in　itself　a　reference　to　something　absolutely　great；　consequently　a　reference　also　to　the　law　of　reason　that　this　alone　is　to　be　adopted　as　the　supreme　measure　of　what　is　great。　Therefore　the　inner　perception　of　the　inadequacy　of　every　standard　of　sense　to　serve　for　the　rational　estimation　of　magnitude　is　a　coming　into　accord　with　reason's　laws；　and　a　displeasure　that　makes　us　alive　to　the　feeling　of　the　supersensible　side　of　our　being；　according　to　which　it　is　final；　and　consequently　a　pleasure；　to　find　every　standard　of　sensibility　falling　short　of　the　ideas　of　reason。　　　The　mind　feels　itself　set　in　motion　in　the　representation　of　the　sublime　in　nature；　whereas　in　the　aesthetic　judgement　upon　what　is　beautiful　therein　it　is　in　restful　contemplation。　This　movement；　especially　in　its　inception；　may　be　compared　with　vibration；　i。e。；　with　a　rapidly　alternating　repulsion　and　attraction　produced　by　one　and　the　same　object。　The　point　of　excess　for　the　imagination　（towards　which　it　is　driven　in　the　apprehension　of　the　intuition）　is　like　an　abyss　in　which　it　fears　to　lose　itself；　yet　again　for　the　rational　idea　of　the　supersensible　it　is　not　excessive；　but　conformable　to　law；　and　directed　to　drawing　out　such　an　effort　on　the　part　of　the　imagination：　and　so　in　turn　as　much　a　source　of　attraction　as　it　was　repellent　to　mere　sensibility。　But　the　judgement　itself　all　the　while　steadfastly　preserves　its　aesthetic　character；　because　it　represents；　without　being　grounded　on　any　definite　concept　of　the　object；　merely　the　subjective　play　of　the　mental　powers　（imagination　and　reason）　as　harmonious　by　virtue　of　their　very　contrast。　For　just　as　in　the　estimate　of　the　beautiful　imagination　and　understanding　by　their　concert　generate　subjective　finality　of　the　mental　faculties；　so　imagination　and　reason　do　so　here　by　their　conflict…that　is　to　say　they　induce　a　feeling　of　our　possessing　a　pure　and　self…sufficient　reason；　or　a　faculty　for　the　estimation　of　magnitude；　whose　preeminence　can　only　be　made　intuitively　evident　by　the　inadequacy　of　that　faculty　which　in　the　presentation　of　magnitudes　（of　objects　of　sense）　is　itself　unbounded。　　　Measurement　of　a　space　（as　apprehension）　is　at　the　same　time　a　description　of　it；　and　so　an　objective　movement　in　the　imagination　and　a　progression。　On　the　other　hand；　the　comprehension　of　the　manifold　in　the　unity；　not　of　thought；　but　of　intuition；　and　consequently　the　comprehension　of　the　successively　apprehended　parts　at　one　glance；　is　a　retrogression　that　removes　the　time…condition　in　the　progression　of　the　imagination；　and　renders　coexistence　intuitable。　Therefore；　since　the　time…series　is　a　condition　of　the　internal　sense　and　of　an　intuition；　it　is　a　subjective　movement　of　the　imagination　by　which　it　does　violence　to　the　internal　sense…a　violence　which　must　be　proportionately　more　striking　the　greater　the　quantum　which　the　imagination　comprehends　in　one　intuition。　The　effort；　therefore；　to　receive　in　a　single　intuition　a　measure　for　magnitudes　which　it　takes　an　appreciable　time　to　apprehend；　is　a　mode　of　representation　which；　subjectively　considered；　is　contra…final；　but　objectively；　is　requisite　for　the　estimation　of　magnitude；　and　is　consequently　final。　Here　the　very　same　violence　that　is　wrought　on　the　subject　through　the　imagination　is　estimated　as　final　for　the　whole　province　of　the　mind。　　　The　quality　of　the　feeling　of　the　sublime　consists　in　being；　in　respect　of　the　faculty　of　forming　aesthetic　estimates；　a　feeling　of　displeasure　at　an　object；　which　yet；　at　the　same　time；　is　represented　as　being　final…a　representation　which　derives　its　possibility　from　the　fact　that　the　subject's　very　incapacity　betrays　the　consciousness　of　an　unlimited　faculty　of　the　same　subject；　and　that　the　mind　can　only　form　an　aesthetic　estimate　of　the　latter　faculty　by　means　of　that　incapacity。　　　In　the　case　of　the　logical　estimation　of　magnitude；　the　impossibility　of　ever　arriving　at　absolute　totality　by　the　progressive　measurement　of　things　of　the　sensible　world　in　time　and　space　was　cognized　as　an　objective　impossibility；　i。e。；　one　of　thinking　the　infinite　as　given；　and　not　as　simply　subjective；　i。e。；　an　incapacity　for　grasping　it；　for　nothing　turns　there　on　the　amount　of　the　comprehension　in　one　intuition；　as　measure；　but　everything　depends　on　a　numerical　concept。　But　in　an　aesthetic　estimation　of　magnitude　the　numerical　concept　must　drop　out　of　count　or　undergo　a　change。　The　only　thing　that　is　final　for　such　estimation　is　the　comprehension　on　the　part　of　imagination　in　respect　of　the　unit　of　measure　（the　concept　of　a　law　of　the　successive　production　of　the　concept　of　magnitude　being　consequently　avoided）。　If；　now；　a　magnitude　begins　to　tax　the　utmost　stretch　of　our　faculty　of　comprehension　in　an　intuition；　and　still　numerical　magnitudes…in　respect　of　which　we　are　conscious　of　the　boundlessness　of　our　faculty…call　upon　the　imagination　for　aesthetic　comprehension　in　a　greater　unit；　the　mind　then　gets　a　feeling　of　being　aesthetically　confined　within　bounds。　Nevertheless；　with　a　view　to　the　extension　of　imagination　necessary　for　adequacy　with　what　is　unbounded　in　our　faculty　of　reason；　namely　the　idea　of　the　absolute　whole；　the　attendant　displeasure；　and；　consequently；　the　want　of　finality　in　our　fa