VALERIA MAGGIORE
Vertigo and Fragility. Toward an Ecological Sublime in the Age of the Anthropocene
In the Anthropocene, where ecological crisis and existential uncertainty converge, the aesthetic concept of the sublime calls for redefinition. Rooted in Kantian thought, the sublime traditionally signals a confrontation with overwhelming forces that ultimately reinforces human reason. Yet this paradigm, often aligned with technological mastery, risks perpetuating anthropocentric detachment from nature. This article outlines a shift toward an ecological sublime, a form of aesthetic experience grounded not in transcendence, but in vulnerability, relationality, and interdependence. Schopenhauer’s notion of sublime offers a conceptual bridge to contemporary ecological thought and anticipates a more receptive and decentred subject. This philosophical trajectory culminates in Arne Næss’s theory of Deep Ecology, particularly his idea of the Ecological Self, an expanded identity rooted in connection with the more-than-human world. Within this framework, the sublime becomes horizontal and immersive rather than vertical and heroic, evoking a spontaneous ethic of care. By tracing this movement from Kant to Schopenhauer and Næss, the article proposes a new understanding of the sublime that does not elevate the subject above nature but situates it within the fragile and dynamic web of life, reimagining our place in the world.