Final answer:
In 'Oedipus the King,' Oedipus believes the best use of a man's powers is to serve the common good, which for him means solving the murder of the former king to save his city.
Step-by-step explanation:
As Oedipus solicits Tiresias's help in the play Oedipus the King by Sophocles, he suggests that the best use a man makes of his powers is to serve the common good, which in the context of the play means identifying the source of Thebes's suffering and rectifying it.
Oedipus is determined to find the truth behind the former king's murder to save the city from the plague.
The irony, of course, is that in seeking to use his power for the greater good, Oedipus ultimately uncovers a truth about himself that leads to his own ruin.