Kant on the Sublime: Meaning and Context

Historical Context

Kant introduces this formula in the mathematical sublime, where imagination struggles to present magnitude as a whole. The judgment concerns the subject’s encounter with limits of sensible representation rather than a measurable property called infinite size. The verified wording appears in Critique of the Power of Judgment at §25, Analytic of the Sublime.

Meaning

Absolutely great means great beyond comparison by ordinary standards. The failure of imagination points the mind toward ideas of reason, producing a mixed experience of displeasure, elevation, and awareness of a supersensible capacity. The sentence should be read as part of that argument, not as a detachable motivational slogan.

Philosophical Interpretation

The quotation must be separated from casual uses of sublime to mean merely beautiful or impressive. Interpretive questions concern reason, moral vocation, nature, and whether Kant’s account depends too heavily on a universalized spectator. Comparing the passage with the linked aesthetics records clarifies both its influence and its limits.