The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast – Ep. 321: August Schlegel on Beauty (Part One)

Intro

In this episode of “The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast,” the focus is on August Schlegel’s Three of Art and his dissatisfaction with Kant’s take on beauty. The romantics aim to vindicate the aesthetic as our mode of relating to the absolute and explore the integration of the sublime into the aesthetic. Aesthetic judgments are made possible through the free play of faculties, and reason is seen as the faculty of metaphysics and ethical philosophy. Schlegel argues that Kant’s distinction between the beautiful and the sublime goes against his project of uniting the faculties. Art is seen as a means to access the infinite and capture the generative aspect that underlies nature. The concept of the infinite is associated with God and serves as a foundational principle of knowledge.

Main Takeaways

August Schlegel’s Critique of Kant

• Schlegel is unsatisfied with Kant’s take on beauty, which he feels marginalizes it.
• Kant’s distinction between the beautiful and the sublime is not necessarily a clear-cut one and can be part of the same aesthetic experience.
• Schlegel argues that Kant’s distinction between the beautiful and the sublime goes against his project of uniting the faculties.

The Integration of the Sublime into the Aesthetic

• The sublime is integrated into the aesthetic, it’s not just sharply separated.
• The sublime is one of the avenues towards getting in contact with the absolute.
• The beautiful and sublime are on a gradient scale, not distinct kinds as claimed by Schlagel for Kant.

Aesthetic Experience and the Free Play of Faculties

• Aesthetic judgments are possible through the free play of faculties, not just subsuming particulars under concepts.
• Reason is the faculty of metaphysics and ethical philosophy, despite its limitations.
• The sublime is seen as providing access to the activity of our freedom, which is why Schlegel considers it the key to aesthetic experience.

Art as a Means to Access the Infinite

• Art created by human beings is a way to get at the infinite, according to Schlegel.
• The sublime is part of the effect of beauty and can be found in strictly limited forms.
• The purpose of art is not to create a life-like representation of nature, but to capture the generative aspect that is underneath it.

The Concept of the Infinite and its Associations

• The infinite is associated with God and the absolute motor of the universe.
• The concept of the infinite is more aligned with Spinoza and Hegel’s development of ego rather than Parmenides’ philosophy of no change.
• Access to the infinite is access to awareness of the interconnectedness of everything.

Summary

August Schlegel’s Critique of Kant

August Schlegel criticizes Kant’s take on beauty, arguing that it marginalizes it. He believes that Kant’s distinction between the beautiful and the sublime is not necessarily a clear-cut one and can be part of the same aesthetic experience. Schlegel sees this distinction as going against Kant’s project of uniting the faculties. According to Schlegel, art is a means to access the infinite, and the sublime is integrated into the aesthetic experience.

The Integration of the Sublime into the Aesthetic

The romantics, including Schlegel, aim to vindicate the aesthetic as our mode of relating to the absolute. They believe that the beautiful and sublime are on a gradient scale, not distinct kinds as claimed by Schlegel for Kant. The sublime is seen as one of the avenues towards getting in contact with the absolute. It is integrated into the aesthetic and is not sharply separated from it.

Aesthetic Experience and the Free Play of Faculties

Schlegel argues that aesthetic judgments are possible through the free play of faculties, not just subsuming particulars under concepts. Reason, despite its limitations, is seen as the faculty of metaphysics and ethical philosophy. The sublime is considered the key to aesthetic experience as it provides access to the activity of our freedom.

Art as a Means to Access the Infinite

According to Schlegel, art created by human beings is a way to access the infinite. The sublime is seen as part of the effect of beauty and can be found in strictly limited forms. The purpose of art is not to create a life-like representation of nature, but to capture the generative aspect that is underneath it. Art is seen as independently creative, organized, and organizing, forming living works held in motion through an inner force.

The Concept of the Infinite and its Associations

The concept of the infinite is associated with God and the absolute motor of the universe. Access to the infinite is seen as access to awareness of the interconnectedness of everything. The concept of the infinite is more aligned with Spinoza and Hegel’s development of ego rather than Parmenides’ philosophy of no change. Schlegel views the human soul, which allows for free actions, as an expression of the infinite.

Conclusion

In this episode, the focus is on August Schlegel’s critique of Kant’s take on beauty and the integration of the sublime into the aesthetic. Schlegel argues that art is a means to access the infinite and that the concept of the infinite is associated with God and serves as a foundational principle of knowledge. The romantics aim to vindicate the aesthetic as our mode of relating to the absolute and explore the interconnectedness of everything through aesthetic experience.