Seth Andrews
Dr. Daniel Cistro
ENGL 1102
03/10/2023
The Separation of Selfishness The great philosopher Aristotle provided an exciting take in his famous work “Nicomachean Ethics” in chapter VIII of the ninth book; where he divides selfishness into two spheres; one representing noble selfishness shown by one who seeks virtue, honor, and good works, and the other representing the simple "vulgar" selfishness shown by one who chases after worldly things. Everyone falls into one of these spheres; what separates the two is that the good man can reason with others while the simple man is too engulfed with his own passions to acknowledge anyone else. The noble character is the most selfish of them all, but he enriches his community
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His decision to contradict the natural law of the gods and refuse to bury the body as he left “his corpse carrion for the birds and dogs to tear/ an obscenity for the citizens to behold!” (230-231) This decree that he makes brings to light Creon’s love for worldly things, which Aristotle states is the main driver for vulgar selfishness. He is engulfed with ensuring that no one feels inclined to turn against the government because it threatens his power. His love of worldly things such as power and recognition lead to his downfall as a result of his insecurity about his throne. This insecurity is shown by his statement of “from the first there were certain citizens / who could hardly stand the spirit of my regime.” (328-329) His insecurity convinces him that someone is constantly trying to undermine his rule and he is truly devoted to making sure that he is respected, and that no one questions his authority. That innate desire for power and maintaining his masculinity has engulfed his life, it is shown in his statement “I’m not the man, not now: she is the man / if this victory goes to her and she goes free.” (542-543) The temptations of power and masculinity have overtaken him just as Aristotle said happens to those who portray this vulgar selfishness. Creon has no regard for virtue, he doesn’t care how his decision to execute his own niece will affect his own son as he states, “there are other fields for him to plow.” (643) Rather than considering how this action will affect his family, he is so enraged by someone challenging his ruling that he finds himself unable to reason with anyone. He has allowed his power drive to drown out any knowledge or common sense that he or his peers might have. This is the fatal flaw of all vulgar selfish characters. His sole goal is to maintain and maximize his power and this is what leads to his downfall. At the conclusion