The Gilded Coin: Art and Religion in Nietzsche as Forms of Illusion and Affirmation
Introduction In Nietzsche’s philosophical framework, art and religion are not mutually exclusive. Although he unleashes a fierce critique of Christianity, he does not reject all forms of religiosity or symbolic transcendence. On the contrary, both spheres — art and religion — share a fundamental capacity: the power to create illusions that exert real influence over life. Yet while religion — at least in its Christian form — denies the world in the name of future redemption, art, when it does not degenerate into mere consolation, becomes the only authentic path to affirming life. A potent, though rarely discussed, metaphor structures this ambivalence: the gilded coin [1] . With it, Nietzsche points to the superficial shine of symbolic forms — poetry, myth, ritual — and the hidden danger lurking on their reverse side. What, then, distinguishes art that redeems from art that deceives? Where does aesthetic creation end and manipulation begin? This article explores such questions throug...