The lecture will scrutinize the idea of the superhuman in the works of Mikhail Bulgakov.
The human brain has always envisioned creatures partly (or hugely) much greater than itself. Envying gods, their immortality, was inherent in human nature before man dared to go beyond natural limits, instigating the idea of supermen, transhumanism, and various modernist projects of building an ideal world order. Two of Mikhail Bulgakov’s protagonists embody exactly this bold idea of trespassing the borders. One is the tramp-philosopher Yeshua Ha-Notsri who, even without proclaiming himself a God-Man, rises above evil and vanity by virtue of ethics. The other is Sharikov—a modern era homunculus who was created with good intentions but nevertheless demonstrates utmost transgression into evil. What kind of transcendental forces are available for an artist then—if in reality superhumanism is impossible, and art as divine creativity is merely a metaphor?
“In short — I, Philip Preobrazhensky would perform the most difficult feat of my whole career by transplanting Spinoza's, or anyone else's pituitary and turning a dog into a highly intelligent being. But what in heaven's name for? That's the point. Will you kindly tell me why one has to manufacture artificial Spinozas when some peasant woman may produce a real one any day of the week? After all, the great Lomonosov was the son of a peasant woman from Kholmogory. Mankind, doctor, takes care of that. Every year evolution ruthlessly casts aside the mass of dross and creates a few dozen men of genius who become an ornament to the whole world. Now I hope you understand why I condemned the deductions you made from Sharikov's case history. My discovery, which you are so concerned about, is worth about as much as a bent penny...”
(Mikhail Bulgakov, The Heart of a Dog, 1925)
