The Ass and the Pig

Eastern and Western variations

The oldest known Latin version of this fable comes from a poem by Phaedrus, telling of a pig that was fed barley until it grew fat, then was sacrificed. The leftover grain was offered to an ass, who turned it down because of what had happened to the previous creature that ate it. This odd way of thinking, which seems to mix up cause and effect, appears often in fables and prompted Aristophanes to call such tales "Aesop's jests." The point of this logic is to highlight a key distinction in practical philosophy: the difference between an immediate good and an ultimate good.

In this story, a free meal is the immediate good, but the ultimate good lies in thinking about where accepting a short-term benefit might lead. Phaedrus himself makes this connection. He tells the tale in the first six lines of his poem, then adds six more lines of personal reflection. He says the fable taught him to be cautious, and he has since avoided risky business deals.

He notes that people might say those who grab wealth get to keep it, but he reminds them how many are eventually caught and killed. The punished, he argues, form the larger crowd; a few may gain from reckless behavior, but many more are ruined by it.