“Beauty Will Save the World”: From Dostoevsky’s Prophetic Paradox to Marcuse’s Aesthetic Utopia The famous phrase “Beauty will save the world” from Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel “The Idiot” (1868) has undergone a complex philosophical evolution, becoming the foundation for radically different but similarly themed aesthetic projects by the mid-20th century. Its journey from Dostoevsky’s religious-existential imperative to Herbert Marcuse’s political-revolutionary program in neomarxist theory demonstrates a fundamental shift in understanding the role of aesthetics in the world: from the salvation of the soul to the salvation of society. Fyodor Dostoevsky: beauty as Christ and a tragic rift In “The Idiot,” the phrase is attributed to the young Hippolyt, who passes it on as the thought of Prince Myshkin: “…the prince asserts that beauty will save the world!” It is important that in the novel it remains an unresolved antinomy, a paradox that exposes the tragedy of human existence. Beauty as the embodiment of Christ: For Myshkin (and to a large extent for Dostoevsky himself), the highest beauty is the face of Christ, “in which the heavenly ideal descended to earth.” This is the beauty of sacrificing love, humility, and suffering. It is salvific because it can transform the soul, open the way to compassion and faith. The example is the impact of Hans Holbein’s painting “Dead Christ” in the novel, which with its naturalism calls into question the possibility of resurrection, causing a spiritual crisis. Beauty as a destructive force (the beauty of Nastasya Filippovna): Here is the antithesis. The dazzling, “fateful” beauty of Nastasya Filippovna does not save, but destroys lives (herself, Myshkin, Rogozhin). It becomes a tool of revenge on the world, a symbol of excessive suffering and pride. “Beauty is a terrible and terrible thing!” says Dmitry Karamazov in “The Brothers Karamazov”. Salvation through suffering and compassion: For Dostoevsky, beauty itself is ambivalent. It is ... Read more