Beauty as an Antidote to Indifference in a World of Conflict

Angelo Argento's article on Artribune reexamines Dostoevsky's famous line "beauty will save the world" from The Idiot, arguing it has been misused as a superficial slogan. In light of contemporary conflicts—Gaza, Donbass, Sudan, Yemen, Congo—Argento contends that true beauty is not consoling but unsettling, an ethical force that resists indifference. He distinguishes between beauty as ornamental soft power, tolerated by realpolitik, and beauty as civil resistance, citing examples like clandestine poetry in Ukrainian prison camps, Banksy's graffiti in Palestinian territories, and cultural festivals in Kurdistan. Argento invokes Camus to argue that beauty, alongside revolt, prevents despair. He concludes that beauty may not save the world but can save us from complicity and indifference. The article is part of Artribune's ongoing coverage and includes promotional sections for newsletters and affiliated book sales.