§9.8#1ἀπορεῖται δὲ καὶ πότερον δεῖ φιλεῖν ἑαυτὸν μάλιστα ἢ ἄλλον τινά.
And it is also a matter of puzzle whether one ought to love oneself most, or someone else.
ἐπιτιμῶσι γὰρ τοῖς ἑαυτοὺς μάλιστʼ ἀγαπῶσι, καὶ ὡς ἐν αἰσχρῷ φιλαύτους ἀποκαλοῦσι, δοκεῖ τε ὁ μὲν φαῦλος ἑαυτοῦ χάριν πάντα πράττειν, καὶ ὅσῳ ἂν μοχθηρότερος ᾖ, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον—ἐγκαλοῦσι δὴ αὐτῷ οἷον ὅτι οὐδὲν ἀφʼ ἑαυτοῦ πράττει—ὁ δʼ ἐπιεικὴς διὰ τὸ καλόν, καὶ ὅσῳ ἂν βελτίων ᾖ, μᾶλλον διὰ τὸ καλόν, καὶ φίλου ἕνεκα, τὸ δʼ αὑτοῦ παρίησιν.
For people censure those who love themselves most, and call them 'self-lovers' as a matter of reproach, and the base person seems to do everything for his own sake, and the more wicked he is, the more he does so—indeed, they accuse him, for instance, of doing nothing from himself—whereas the decent person acts for the sake of the noble, and the better he is, the more he acts for the sake of the noble, and for the sake of his friend, while neglecting his own interest.
τοῖς λόγοις δὲ τούτοις τὰ ἔργα διαφωνεῖ, οὐκ ἀλόγως.
But the facts clash with these arguments, not without reason.
φασὶ γὰρ δεῖν φιλεῖν μάλιστα τὸν μάλιστα φίλον, φίλος δὲ μάλιστα ὁ βουλόμενος ᾧ βούλεται τἀγαθὰ ἐκείνου ἕνεκα, καὶ εἰ μηδεὶς εἴσεται·
For they say that one ought to love most the person who is most a friend, and he is most a friend who wishes good things to the person for whom he wishes them for that person's sake, even if no one will know it.
ταῦτα δʼ ὑπάρχει μάλιστʼ αὐτῷ πρὸς αὑτόν, καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ δὴ πάνθʼ οἷς ὁ φίλος ὁρίζεται·
And these conditions belong most of all to oneself in relation to oneself, and so too do all the other things by which a friend is defined.
εἴρηται γὰρ ὅτι ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ πάντα τὰ φιλικὰ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἄλλους διήκει.
For it has been said that all friendly relations extend from oneself and spread to others.
καὶ αἱ παροιμίαι δὲ πᾶσαι ὁμογνωμονοῦσιν, οἷον τὸ
"μία ψυχή"
καὶ
"κοινὰ τὰ φίλων"
καὶ
"ἰσότης φιλότης"
καὶ
"γόνυ κνήμης ἔγγιον·
And all the proverbs agree in mind, such as 'one soul', and 'friends' property is common', and 'equality is friendship', and 'the knee is closer than the shin'.
"
πάντα γὰρ ταῦτα πρὸς αὑτὸν μάλιστʼ ἂν ὑπάρχοι· μάλιστα γὰρ φίλος αὑτῷ· καὶ φιλητέον δὴ μάλισθʼ ἑαυτόν.
For all these would belong most of all to oneself in relation to oneself; for one is most a friend to oneself, and so indeed one ought to love oneself most.
ἀπορεῖται δὴ εἰκότως ποτέροις χρεὼν ἕπεσθαι, ἀμφοῖν ἐχόντοιν τὸ πιστόν.
So it is reasonably a matter of puzzle which of the two one ought to follow, since both positions carry conviction.
ἴσως οὖν τοὺς τοιούτους δεῖ τῶν λόγων διαιρεῖν καὶ διορίζειν ἐφʼ ὅσον ἑκάτεροι καὶ πῇ ἀληθεύουσιν.
Perhaps, then, one ought to distinguish and define such arguments, to see to what extent and in what way each is true.
εἰ δὴ λάβοιμεν τὸ φίλαυτον πῶς ἑκάτεροι λέγουσιν, τάχʼ ἂν γένοιτο δῆλον.
If, then, we grasp how each side uses the term 'self-lover', it would perhaps become clear.
οἱ μὲν οὖν εἰς ὄνειδος ἄγοντες αὐτὸ φιλαύτους καλοῦσι τοὺς ἑαυτοῖς ἀπονέμοντας τὸ πλεῖον ἐν χρήμασι καὶ τιμαῖς καὶ ἡδοναῖς ταῖς σωματικαῖς· τούτων γὰρ οἱ πολλοὶ ὀρέγονται, καὶ ἐσπουδάκασι περὶ αὐτὰ ὡς ἄριστα ὄντα, διὸ καὶ περιμάχητά ἐστιν.
Those, then, who bring it into reproach call 'self-lovers' those who assign to themselves the greater share of money, honors, and bodily pleasures; for the many desire these things and are zealous about them as being the best, which is why they are also fought over.
οἱ δὴ περὶ ταῦτα πλεονέκται χαρίζονται ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις καὶ ὅλως τοῖς πάθεσι καὶ τῷ ἀλόγῳ τῆς ψυχῆς· τοιοῦτοι δʼ εἰσὶν οἱ πολλοί· διὸ καὶ ἡ προσηγορία γεγένηται ἀπὸ τοῦ πολλοῦ φαύλου ὄντος· δικαίως δὴ τοῖς οὕτω φιλαύτοις ὀνειδίζεται.
And those who are greedy for these things gratify their desires, and in general their passions and the non-rational part of the soul; and the many are of this kind, which is why the designation has arisen from the many who are base; justly, then, are those who are self-lovers in this way censured.
ὅτι δὲ τοὺς τὰ τοιαῦθʼ αὑτοῖς ἀπονέμοντας εἰώθασι λέγειν οἱ πολλοὶ φιλαύτους, οὐκ ἄδηλον· εἰ γάρ τις ἀεὶ σπουδάζοι τὰ δίκαια πράττειν αὐτὸς μάλιστα πάντων ἢ τὰ σώφρονα ἢ ὁποιαοῦν ἄλλα τῶν κατὰ τὰς ἀρετάς, καὶ ὅλως ἀεὶ τὸ καλὸν ἑαυτῷ περιποιοῖτο, οὐδεὶς ἐρεῖ τοῦτον φίλαυτον οὐδὲ ψέξει.
That the many are accustomed to call 'self-lovers' those who assign such things to themselves is not unclear; for if someone were always zealous to do what is just himself, most of all people, or what is temperate, or any other actions in accordance with the virtues, and in general were always to secure what is noble for himself, no one will call this person a self-lover or censure him.
δόξειε δʼ ἂν ὁ τοιοῦτος μᾶλλον εἶναι φίλαυτος· ἀπονέμει γοῦν ἑαυτῷ τὰ κάλλιστα καὶ μάλιστʼ ἀγαθά, καὶ χαρίζεται ἑαυτοῦ τῷ κυριωτάτῳ, καὶ πάντα τούτῳ πείθεται·
Yet such a person would seem to be more of a self-lover; at any rate, he assigns to himself the noblest and best things, and gratify the most authoritative part of himself, obeying it in everything.
ὥσπερ δὲ καὶ πόλις τὸ κυριώτατον μάλιστʼ εἶναι δοκεῖ καὶ πᾶν ἄλλο σύστημα, οὕτω καὶ ἄνθρωπος· καὶ φίλαυτος δὴ μάλιστα ὁ τοῦτο ἀγαπῶν καὶ τούτῳ χαριζόμενος.
And just as a city or any other systematic whole seems to be most of all its most authoritative part, so too does a human being; and so he who loves this part and gratifies it is indeed most a self-lover.