Peter asked:

Dr Faustus sold his soul to Lucifer for all the scientific knowledge of the time — for the secrets of the
universe and for 25 years of power to do as he wished.

His initial dilemma was to choose between good or evil, God or Lucifer. Can this be equated with a
modern dilemma of helping society/people or helping yourself and rising above society? If Dr Faustus
were alive today what would be his dilemma?

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Why did Dr. Faustus sell his soul, after all? In order to perpetrate evil on the world? To further
Lucifer's evil project? Not really. He wanted knowledge and power to further his own interests, which
were not in themselves necessarily evil. In other words, he was choosing, as your dichotomy offers,
to help himself as opposed to helping society.

Traditionally, most philosophers have agreed that morality, or choosing good over evil, is not simply
doing what furthers one's own interests, but balancing one's interests against other important
considerations like the interests of others, say, or of society as a whole, for example.

Dr. Faustus is as relevant to day as ever. Consider the American film of a few years ago, It Could
Happen to You.Upon winning a lottery a man had to decide whether to keep all the money himself or
live up to a promise he made to a stranger that he would split the winnings with her should he win,
someone who was not in a position to know whether he had indeed won. The choice here is between
self-interest and living up to one's promise.

What about modern physicians who receive medical training, to one degree or another, at public
expense who, upon graduation, choose to specialize in lucrative cosmetic surgery as opposed to
offering their services to those more in need of medical help?

Reflecting on the choices of Dr. Faustus is as relevant today as it ever was.

Ben Mulvey, PhD

Associate Professor/Director, Liberal Arts
Nova Southeastern University
Fort Lauderdale, Florida USA
http://www.nova.edu/~mulvey