Burke Flashcards
What was Burke predominantly interested in?
Limiting the influence and power of the monarchy
Burke’s political theory focused on the limitations of monarchical power.
What are the three states of being according to Burke?
Pain, pleasure, and indifference
These states are central to Burke’s exploration of human experience.
How does Burke define pleasure and pain?
Both are positive forces, not dependent on each other
This perspective challenges the traditional view of pleasure and pain as opposites.
What does Burke classify as sublime?
Anything that excites pain, danger, or terror
The sublime provokes strong emotional reactions related to fear.
What does Burke classify as beautiful?
Anything that excites pleasure, affection, or joy
Beauty is associated with positive emotional responses.
What is the relationship between ideas that inspire pain or pleasure and self-preservation?
They are typically related to self-preservation
This connection highlights the instinctual basis of human emotions.
What is the consequence of the end of pleasure according to Burke?
Leads to disappointment, indifference, or grief
This suggests that pleasure is transient and can result in negative emotions.
How does Burke’s view of the sublime differ from Kant’s?
Burke sees it as a bodily experience, while Kant views it as an interaction of the mind with incomprehensible features
This represents a fundamental philosophical divergence between the two thinkers.
According to Burke, how is beauty experienced?
Emotionally, inciting pleasure based on principles of proportion and familiarity
This contrasts with Kant’s more abstract conception of beauty.
What does Kant believe about beauty?
Beauty is purposiveness without purpose
This reflects a view of art that values aesthetic experience over utility.
Fill in the blank: Burke believed that _______ is a source of the sublime.
[anything that is terrible or operates in a manner analogous to terror]
This emphasizes the connection between fear and the experience of the sublime.
True or False: Burke argued that pleasure and pain can only exist in contrast to one another.
False
Burke rejected the idea that pleasure and pain are mere relational concepts.
What are the key terms associated with Burke’s philosophy?
- Novelty
- Pain
- Pleasure
- Self-preservation
- Sublime
- Beauty/Beautiful
- Indifference
These terms encapsulate the central themes of Burke’s work.
What does Burke imply about the nature of pleasure and pain?
They each have a positive nature and are not necessarily dependent on each other for their existence
This notion challenges the binary understanding of these emotions.
