Aristotle's friendship
Brendan Hollenbaugh
Julie Piering
Philosophy 105
October 3rd, 2014
Friendship
“Friends always have your back”, or so they say. As cliché as it is, this is a famous saying that human beings have been quoting for many years. However, how does a friendship in the 21st century compare in meaning to that of Aristotle and other philosophers who wrote their views and philosophy’s on this matter? The price and value of friendship has always been held high in the eyes of society. True friendship is a rare and delicate thing to come by nowadays, but does it still exist in the pure form that philosophers talked about so long ago? Jean de La Fontaine quoted perfectly the value of friendship as “Rare as is true love, true friendship is rarer”. Friendships in the modern world vary from those in the past due to changes in social constructs and norms, advancements in technology, and shifts in human nature.
In Aristotle’s Nicomachean ethics he explains his ideas of how there are three different types of friendships and how each one interacts with one another. The first being the friendship of utility as explained by a friend that his or hers sole purpose is to trade a service or job. For example, a business associate where you trade between one another; this business partner is an example of this type of friendship because this is someone you are friendly to but you only associate yourself with because of the usefulness provided by his or her actions. The second type of friendship is the friendship of pleasure. This type of friendship entails that this person brings you pleasure in any sense which enhances your being by cognitively soothing your emotions. An example being that of a comical friend that you enjoy his or hers company because they bring you humor and happiness when in their presence. The third and final type of friend as explained by Aristotle is the friendship of virtue or the friendship of the good and goodness. This type of friendship is the rarest to find and
Julie Piering
Philosophy 105
October 3rd, 2014
Friendship
“Friends always have your back”, or so they say. As cliché as it is, this is a famous saying that human beings have been quoting for many years. However, how does a friendship in the 21st century compare in meaning to that of Aristotle and other philosophers who wrote their views and philosophy’s on this matter? The price and value of friendship has always been held high in the eyes of society. True friendship is a rare and delicate thing to come by nowadays, but does it still exist in the pure form that philosophers talked about so long ago? Jean de La Fontaine quoted perfectly the value of friendship as “Rare as is true love, true friendship is rarer”. Friendships in the modern world vary from those in the past due to changes in social constructs and norms, advancements in technology, and shifts in human nature.
In Aristotle’s Nicomachean ethics he explains his ideas of how there are three different types of friendships and how each one interacts with one another. The first being the friendship of utility as explained by a friend that his or hers sole purpose is to trade a service or job. For example, a business associate where you trade between one another; this business partner is an example of this type of friendship because this is someone you are friendly to but you only associate yourself with because of the usefulness provided by his or her actions. The second type of friendship is the friendship of pleasure. This type of friendship entails that this person brings you pleasure in any sense which enhances your being by cognitively soothing your emotions. An example being that of a comical friend that you enjoy his or hers company because they bring you humor and happiness when in their presence. The third and final type of friend as explained by Aristotle is the friendship of virtue or the friendship of the good and goodness. This type of friendship is the rarest to find and