Overwhelmed By Space
medium.com
Saved by Tanuj
Overwhelmed By Space
Saved by Tanuj
Have you ever felt awe and exhilaration while contemplating a vista of jagged, snow-capped mountains? Or been fascinated but also a bit unsettled while beholding a thunderous waterfall such as Niagara? Or felt existentially insignificant but strangely exalted while gazing up at the clear, starry night sky? If so, then you’ve had an experience of wh
... See moreHere we have an account of sublime experience that oscillates between feeling reduced to nothing in comparison with the great spatial and temporal expanse of nature, and then feeling elevated by two thoughts ‘that only philosophy makes clear’. First is the thought that as cognising, thinking subjects we in a sense create (support, construct) our ow
... See moreOn cosmic insignificance:
We are not at the centre of anything, thankfully. We are minuscule bundles of evanescent matter on an infinitesimal corner of a boundless universe. We don't count one bit in the grander scheme ~ that should be a liberation. We should gain relief from the thought of the kindly indifference of spatial infinity, an eternity wh
... See more