The terrestrial human being's artistic and scientific interests are artificial "co-spouses" that can be maintained only at the expense of the marital energy and therefore make this being a degenerated spouse but a "greater human being"
1147. Scientific and artistic interests are thus something that are not specifically "animal"; they constitute on the contrary something that is specifically "human". The being thus arrives at a point in its evolution toward becoming human where it begins to woo and "marry" these interests. These interests become thereby artificial "co-spouses" of a kind. And one can of course be quite certain that such an artificial "joint marriage" cannot avoid making demands on its originator. And since it gradually becomes a vital necessity for the artist or scientist to meet these demands, he or she cannot possibly be happy or experience normal joy in living or zest for life without meeting these demands. But since this meeting of demands cannot possibly take place without expenditure of energy or vital force, it could thus not take place without there being a corresponding deficit in the energy or vital force available for meeting the demands of marriage. Since the demands of a perfect marriage must be such that the one spouse gives himself or herself one hundred per cent to the other, this being could not possibly live up to a one hundred per cent perfect marriage in situations where a part of its zest for life can be manifested only through the realisation of its artistic or scientific interests. As regards marriage, which means, the animal principle of mating, the great artist, the great scientist, the great genius is thus a being in a very advanced state of degeneration. But since truly noble art or science in the absolute sense can exist only as a direct, collective advantage or common benefit for mankind, in other words, can ultimately express or constitute nothing but "neighbourly love" and thereby be the fulfilment of the law of existence, the genius or the artist, even if he or she is a degenerated spouse, is, however, a "greater human being". This naturally holds true only within the sphere of his or her genius. In other mental spheres he or she can still of course be a very unfinished being; indeed, he or she may even sometimes be on the verge of amorality. But here the blows or bitter experiences that immorality inevitably inflicts upon the being will gradually ennoble it and elevate its moral side to the level of morality that it has already developed within that sphere of its artistic ability in which it is a genius.
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