The Structural Reinterpretation of the Sublime: Critical Leap, Perspective Collapse, and the Limits of Thought OS

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Abstract

This paper aims to reinterpret the long-assumed ineffable phenomenon of the sublime within the theoretical framework of the Core Belief Structure Theory (Kakushin Kōzō-ron).Traditionally discussed in religion, philosophy, and art as an experience of the infinite, the sacred, or the unknowable, the sublime is here defined as a collapse of the cognitive viewpoint, triggered when meaning structures leap beyond the processing capacity of the human Thought OS.The central analytical model proposed is a three-stage sequence—Critical Leap → Structural Overreach → Perspective Collapse—through which the phenomenon of the sublime is structurally explained. The paper argues that the loss of language or tears in moments of awe are not emotional excesses but cognitive reactions to an unprocessable but existent structure.Furthermore, the paper proposes a five-stage Sublime Contact Design Model, offering a structural approach to increasing the likelihood of encountering the sublime in fields such as education, research, art, and healthcare. Through comparative analysis with major theories (Kant, Lacan, Heidegger, Barthes), the paper demonstrates that the Core Belief Structure Theory functions as a Thought OS capable of structurally articulating phenomena traditionally deemed beyond explanation.The sublime, rather than being beyond language, is a structural event awaiting proper theoretical articulation. This work serves as a self-referential proof of the theory's capacity to describe the limits of meaning and the collapse of viewpoint within cognitive architecture.

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