The Arctic, with its vast icy desert and seemingly unchanging landscape, evokes intense emotions. Despite its overwhelming beauty, this inhospitable land also instills a sense of fear—an emotion deeply connected to the human perception of the “sublime.” But what exactly is the sublime, and how do we relate to fear when confronted with the relentless nature of the Arctic?
I first discovered the concept of the sublime while studying literature at the University of Buenos Aires. One day, my professor discussed this idea, putting into words the feeling I experienced whenever I gazed at the sea or the mountains. When I arrived in the Arctic and beheld not only its endless forests but also its star-covered skies, I realized that this entire setting could be described using this term.
In this article, I want to explore the philosophical concept of the sublime and its connection to the Arctic landscape. Additionally, I aim to delve into how this encounter with the grand and terrifying can influence our psychology and our perception of the world. Perhaps this exploration will help you as much as it helped me years ago.
What Is the Sublime?
The term “sublime” refers to an aesthetic experience that combines awe, vastness, and terror. In philosophy, particularly in the works of Edmund Burke and Immanuel Kant, the sublime is a state that provokes a mix of admiration and fear. It is not merely beauty but rather a beauty that overwhelms us, making us feel small and insignificant in the face of something immense.
In this sense, humans tend to associate the sublime with natural phenomena or disasters. For example, a hurricane is terrifying but also considered profoundly beautiful due to its power and magnitude. The same can be said for tsunamis, storms, the universe, and the ocean.
Edmund Burke, in his work A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful (1757), describes the sublime as an aesthetic experience that takes us beyond mere beauty:
“The sublime is anything that can provoke a sense of greatness—whether through magnitude, power, or darkness—making us feel the smallness of our existence while simultaneously filling us with admiration and fear.”
From Kant’s perspective, in Critique of Judgment (1790), the sublime is linked to our ability to reason in the face of the infinite and the overwhelming. According to Kant, the sublime has a moral dimension that elevates us beyond our physical nature:
“The sublime is not the object itself but rather the effect it has on us when we are confronted with the idea of something infinitely great, something that surpasses our capacity for understanding and forces us to face our own limitations.”
A Manifestation of the Sublime in the Arctic
The Arctic, in this sense, is a perfect embodiment of the sublime. The dense, seemingly endless forests perfectly illustrate the feeling of human smallness in the face of vastness. Similarly, the northern lights and the star-filled skies testify to an immeasurable grandeur.
Everything in the Arctic appears magnificent, eternal, and profound: the bare trees, the frozen lakes, the polar night, the silence, and the overwhelming solitude. These elements remind us that we are merely human and that many things are entirely beyond our control. In this sense, we can also consider the frigid temperatures that define Lapland. On one hand, the Arctic climate is responsible for the stunning white landscapes. On the other, it makes survival difficult and can even be dangerous for humans.
The sublimity of the Arctic’s conditions exposes our inability to control nature’s forces. A land of immense beauty, it is also unforgiving and often inaccessible. However, it is precisely this cruelty of nature that fascinates us and reminds us of our vulnerability.
Fear in the Face of the Arctic Sublime
Fear is a natural response when encountering the sublime. During my first season in the Arctic, the natural phenomena filled me with both fear and admiration. There was something about the whiteness of the snow and the dry wind that fascinated me but also unsettled me. The -50°C temperatures painted a breathtaking sky but also threatened our survival.
In the Arctic, it is essential to strike a balance between respect and admiration for nature. I believe it is one of the most beautiful places on Earth, yet it is also one of the most ruthless. Every season, frostbite cases abound, and the cold remains humanity’s greatest adversary in these lands.
The icy wind, the storms, and the polar night contribute to a lingering sense of vulnerability that stayed with us throughout the winter. It felt as if the endlessly stretching forests served as a constant reminder that we were merely visitors, that we did not belong. Indeed, throughout history, the populations that have inhabited these lands have had to fight ceaselessly against the cold and the unending winter.
In this sense, vulnerability and fear emerge as reactions to the uncontrollable forces of nature. However, this type of fear does not have to be negative; rather, it can serve as an evolutionary response that makes us more aware of our limits and our relationship with our environment. When confronted, this fear can also trigger a sense of awe and a deeper appreciation for nature.
Burke also noted that fear allows us to experience the grandeur of the sublime through our own vulnerability. According to him:
“Terror, though derived from something negative, becomes positive in its sublime expression, making us aware of our fragility while simultaneously allowing us to admire and contemplate greatness.”
How the Arctic Confronts Us with Our Own Limits
Although the Arctic instills “fear” and exposes our limitations, it also enables us to recognize our capacity to adapt and survive. According to Kant, the sublime makes us aware of our limitations through contrast, but it also elevates us morally:
“The sublime reminds us that our ability to comprehend the infinite and the grand transcends our physical nature and connects us with a higher moral dimension beyond the physical realm.”
Our encounter with the sublime reminds us that many aspects of life are beyond our control, whether it be events like death or natural phenomena that leave us in awe. However, fully accepting our lack of control and insignificance can also be liberating. By embracing the unknown and surrendering to the course of events, we can become more aware of the beauty and magnitude of the world around us.
Conclusion
Living in the Arctic compels you to admire the beauty of nature while also accepting the limits imposed by human existence. The cold, the vastness, the solitude, and the darkness define this landscape, yet they also impose a perpetual boundary. In some way, nature reminds us that we are merely visitors, minuscule beings compared to the grandeur of the sublime.
However, the cruelty of nature in this part of the world is merely one side of the same coin. To truly appreciate this place, I had to accept that I was living in conditions often extreme for human life.
Thus, fear and respect are not emotions that separate me from the Arctic but rather ones that invite me to connect with my surroundings. I accept that my existence is irrelevant to the ancient trees that stand firm despite the harshness of winter. If I were to suffer hypothermia, Lapland would not stop for me. And that’s okay.
Living in Lapland has helped me accept our insignificance and admire these natural phenomena with complete humility, setting aside my ego. We are limited and finite beings, fragile in the face of cold and darkness. But this acceptance has deepened my connection with my environment and with the idea that we are surrounded by an ancient beauty beyond our comprehension. And that’s okay.
If you are interested about life in the Arctic and other natural phenomena, you can check my post about Working in the Arctic, the Polar Night or the Polar Stratospheric clouds.
Did you know about the sublime? Let me know in the comments!