Faustian

comparative more Faustian · superlative most Faustian

1. Of or pertaining to Faust, especially in the sense of being willing to abandon one's principles or values in order to pursue knowledge, wealth or other benefits.

   Each transaction in the transient corresponds to a pragmatics that transforms the Faustian promise into an advertising slogan.

   1997, Mihai Nadin, The Civilization of Illiteracy

   3 more examples

   But along with this growth, there is at the same time developed in his breast, a Faustian conflict between the passion for accumulation, and the desire for enjoyment.

   1887, Karl Marx, “Conversion of Surplus-Value into Capital”, in Samuel Moore and Edward Aveling, transl., edited by Frederick [i.e., Friedrich] Engels, Capital: A Critical Analysis of Capitalist Production: Translated from the Third German Edition, volume II, London: Swan Sonnenschein, Lowrey, & Co., […], →OCLC, part VII (The Accumulation of Capital), page 605

   Serious times demand honesty and self-awareness from people in positions of authority and, at the end of the day, political parties giving succour to fringe views about life-and-death matters is a Faustian pact. This isn’t speculation, or a serve of two-bit punditry to fuel the opinion cycle. This is the lesson of Donald Trump.

   2021 February 2, Katharine Murphy, “Scott Morrison must heed the lesson of Donald Trump and slap down Craig Kelly”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 12 Feb 2021

   But if techno-capitalist ambitions are fundamentally Faustian, should a Catholic observer (or anyone else with similar commitments) really wish for them to rise again?

   2024 February 9, Ross Douthat, “America Between Jesus and Faust”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 17 Feb 2024