What Kind of Tears? 9/11 and the Sublime

Abstract

This article analyzes the philosophical and aesthetic responses to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States. The paper explores the concept of the sublime as defined by Immanuel Kant, examining how the attacks embodied both the terrifying and splendid aspects of the sublime. The author contends that the public's experience of the event was largely mediated through representation, particularly television broadcasts. The article argues that the German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen's controversial remarks about the attacks as a 'greatest work of art' highlight the complex relationship between art and reality. This study examines the philosophical traditions of the sublime, aesthetic distance, and the distinction between art and life, drawing on Denis Diderot's writings to contextualize these ideas. The paper demonstrates how Stockhausen's provocative statement reflects broader questions about how we understand and filter experiences through art.

(The abstract and keywords were prepared retrospectively for indexing purposes using AI-assisted tools and editorial review, based on the original article. They did not appear in the original publication.)