Ripensare il sublime: dal Settecento a oggi

The eighteenth century was pivotal for the philosophical examination of the sublime. Beginning with the ideas of Jean-Baptiste Du Bos (1719), Edmund Burke’s 1757 treatise on the sublime and beautiful distinguished the sublime as an experience that evokes aprofound emotional response, both fearsome and exhilarating. In contemporary research, the sublime remains a significant area of interest, intersecting disciplines such as psychology, aesthetics, and neuroscience. Recent studies employing neuroimaging techniques have shown that experiences of the sublime activate neural pathways associated with both fear and pleasure, highlighting its complex nature. Additionally, immersive VR environments are used to evoke feelings of awe and the sublime, providing insights into how modern technology can replicate and study profound emotional experiences.