Friendship

Friendship is an important asset in the world we live in, the young needs friendship to retain them from error, older people need it to care for them and those in their prime time need it, to do fine actions. No one would choose to live without friends because friendship is very important and it holds cities together.

Aristotle says that the friendship that seeks to promote the greatest good for each person and seeks to provide a means to an end, rather than a mere means, is the most powerful type of friendship. It is easy for one to call themselves a friend, or say that him or her has a friend, but it is not easy for one to confidently say that every single friendship that they have has the sole purpose to provide a means to a good end. There are many people who would say that they

Friendship, according to Aristotle there are 3 definitions of friendship. Friendship of Utility, “thus friends whose affection is based on utility do not love each other in themselves, but in so far as some benefit accrues to them from each other.” Friendship of Pleasure, “And similarly with those whose friendship is based on pleasure: for instance, we enjoy the society of witty people not because of what they are in themselves, but because they are agreeable to us.” Friendship of the Good. “The perfect form of friendship is that between the good, and those who resemble each other in virtue. For these friends wish each alike the other’s good in respect of their goodness, and they are good in themselves; but it is those who wish the good of their friends for their friends’ sake who are friends in the fullest sense, since they love each other for themselves and not accidentally. Hence the

Friendship can have a significant impact on a person’s life in a positive and negative way. There are many definitions and types of friendship. In Todd May’s article “Friendship in an Age of Economics,” Aristotle believed that there are three types of friendship which are, “…those of pleasure, those of usefulness, and true friendship” (May). Friendship can be described as a bond between two people that have a connection which includes loyalty, acceptance, trust, and love. John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men, demonstrates a strong friendship between the main characters, George Milton and Lennie Small. Friendship can make people vulnerable in the way they trust, accept and love each other.

For Aristotle, friendship is one of the most important virtues in achieving the goal of eudaimonia (happiness). While there are different kinds of friendship, the highest is one that is based on virtue. This type of friendship is based on a person wishing the best for their friends regardless of utility or pleasure. Aristotle calls it a “… complete sort of friendship between people who are good and alike in virtue …” (Nicomachean Ethics, 1156b07-08). This type of friendship is long lasting and tough to obtain because these types of people are hard to come by and it takes a lot of work to have a complete, virtuous friendship. Aristotle notes that one cannot have a large number of friends because of the amount of time and care that a virtuous friendship requires. Aristotle values friendship so highly that he argues friendship supersedes justice and honor. First of all, friendship seems to be so valued by people that no one would choose to live without friends. People who value honor will likely seek out either flattery or those who have more power than they do,

We are social creatures. We surround ourselves with other human beings, our friends. It is in our nature. We are constantly trying to broaden the circumference of our circle of friends. Aristotle understood the importance of friendship, books VIII and IX of the Nicomachean Ethics deal solely with this topic. A modern day definition of a friend can be defined as “one joined to another in intimacy and mutual benevolence independently of sexual or family love”. (Oxford English Dictionary). Aristotle’s view on friendship is much broader than this. His arguments are certainly not flawless. In this essay I will outline what Aristotle said about friendship in the Nichomachaen Ethics and highlight possible

In his time, Aristotle wrote many works on different topics. In arguably one of his most popular works, Nicomachean Ethics, specifically in Book 8, he explores the virtue of friendship. He believes that there are three branches of friendship: that of utility (where two parties derive some benefit from each other), of pleasure (where two parties come together for the sake of pleasure received) and that of the good (where two parties of similar good virtues come together, admire one another for it and help each other strive for more goodness). The last of these types is of the highest form, with Aristotle describing it to be ‘perfect’. It is also naturally permanent unlike the other two, because these friends are not concerned about any other external factor outside of the other’s personality and virtues.

According to Aristotle 's views on friendships he believes that friendship is necessary to live a good life, inspires us to be virtuous, and is a kind of love. Aristotle also believes friendships help people predispose their character and keeps the youth away from errors. Additionally friendship gives support during weakness and helps people be generous and know when they need help. Aristotle views that there are three kinds of friendships, pleasure, utility, and perfect friendships. Pleasure friendships according to Aristotle are typically found in young people. Pleasure friendships are based on the person producing pleasure for the friend. Pleasure friendships tend to end once the person providing the pleasure stops. Utility friendships can be found in young or old people and is based on a person being useful to another. Utility friendships are fulfilling a person 's needs and is based on mutual use. Friendships based on utility typically end if the other person stops being useful. The third friendship is perfect friendship that is found through a state of perfected character. Perfect friendship is motivated by unselfishness and mutual self interest. Friendships that are perfect need to include people that are alike in character, virtue and social station/ equality. Perfect friendships according to Aristotle require time and familiarity. Another requisite is the mastery of self, the friends must know themselves before they know each other.

This quote explains how Aristotle believes that this is the best type of friendship because he believes that this friendship is so long lasting because he says that friendship lasts as long as people stay good and virtue is enduring. Aristotle believes that this is the rarest form of friendship because it takes two people who are committed to one another and not only looking for the benefits in which Utility or Pleasure are consisted of. He also explains how this friendship can only work for the “good” person, these certain people also have to be in some ways alike as well as beneficial to one another. This meaning that both sides of the relationship need to provide benefits to the other person in addition to being pleasant to each other.

Aristotle wrote on many subjects in his lifetime but one of the virtues that he examines more extensively is friendship. Aristotle believes that there are three different kinds of friendship: utility, pleasure, and virtuous friendships. He also argues that a real friendship should be highly valued because it is a complete virtue and he believes it to be greater than honor and justice. Aristotle suggests that human’s love of utility and pleasure is the only reason why the first two types of friendships exist. Aristotle also argues that humans only set up these types of relationships for personal gain. But when he speaks of the virtuous friendships, Aristotle states that it is one of the greatest attainments one can achieve.

True friendship, according to Aristotle, is an external reflection of an individual’s internal good, which one must have in order to reach a eudaimonic state. He logically concludes one must be good and participate in good actions in order to reach the highest form of goodness. Therefore, he contends that every reasonable person “wishes for himself [or herself] what is good and what seems so, and does it (for it is the character of a good

Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay titled Friendship explores his meaning of friendship and ideal qualities of friends in depth. The value of relationships is discussed greatly, along with what it means to be a friend. Reading through the essay many times, I picked up on Emerson’s main points and beliefs about friendship. Trust and honesty are crucial to any genuine friendship, according to him. Openness also provides a deeper connection between friends that cannot happen overnight.

In life there are many changes that can cause a true friendship to go wary such as marriage, divorce, birth of children, new careers, and sickness. However, through each of those events the two must remember to keep the intimacy, the letting down of emotional barriers and the expression of innermost thoughts and feelings, “that which makes friendships thrive must be an enjoyable one” and to “always interact” (Karbo 3). Although psychologists continue to research the formation of friendships the great philosopher Aristotle knew exactly how friendships formed and how the lasted.

There are three types of friendship, according to Aristotle. The first type of friendship based on utility. In this type of friendship, both individuals get some sort of benefit from their friend. The second type of friendship is based on pleasure. Here, both individuals are drawn to the other’s personality, appearance, and/or other qualities. The third and final type of friendship is based on goodness, in which the individuals admire their friend’s goodness and in which they help one another in their pursuit for happiness. The first two friendships are mostly accidental, due to the friends being more motivated by their own pleasure and utility and not by other things essential to their friend. Both kinds are short-lived because one

“No one would choose a friendless existence on condition of having all the other things in the world (Aristotle).” Humans are social beings, social beyond any other creature in the world. Human interaction is a must for survival. It is in our nature. Aristotle understood this, he even had his own analysis of friendship. In the Nicomachean Ethics written by Aristotle, books VIII and IX are based off of friendship. Today, the definition of a friend is, “A person with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, typically one exclusive of sexual or family relations (Oxford Dictionary).” To Aristotle, friendship is much more than this. In this research paper, I will evaluate whether or not Aristotle’s analysis of friendship is applicable to the modern world.