What Aristotle says about friendship?

Category: family and relationships dating
3.9/5 (239 Views . 43 Votes)
In this book, Aristotle describes friendship as reciprocated goodwill, mainly a relationship between two people in which love and goodwill are shared. Aristotle finds that the perfect friendship is the one of virtue and good, in which friends love each other for their own sake, and they wish good things for each other.



Thereof, what are Aristotle's 3 types of friendship?

According to Aristotle, there are three types of friendships: those based on utility, those based on pleasure or delight, and those grounded in virtue. In the first type, friendship based on utility, people associate for their mutual usefulness. These relationships are the most common.

Likewise, did Aristotle have friends? Philosopher Aristotle identified three types of friendships: Ones based on utility or pleasure, and one on mutual appreciation of each other's values. The first two — 'accidental' friendships — are limited in depth and don't last a long time. But friendships based on virtues build the strongest connections and last.

Besides, who was Aristotle's best friend?

Aristotle said there are three types of friendship, but only one we should strive for. At age 17, Aristotle enrolled in the Platonic Academy. He would stay there for 20 years. Founded by the father of Western philosophy, the Greek philosopher Plato, Aristotle was the most promising student around.

What is the philosophy of friendship?

The Nature of Friendship. Friendship essentially involves a distinctive kind of concern for your friend, a concern which might reasonably be understood as a kind of love. Philosophers from the ancient Greeks on have traditionally distinguished three notions that can properly be called love: agape, eros, and philia.

34 Related Question Answers Found

What is the highest level of friendship?

The 4 Levels of Friendship
  • The first level is and always will be the stranger.
  • The second level is the associate.
  • The third level of friendship is the most general: friends.
  • The highest level of friendship that can be reached is that of the best friend.

Who is a true friend?

A true friend is someone who lets you have total freedom to be yourself - and especially to feel. Or, not feel. Whatever you happen to be feeling at the moment is fine with them. That's what real love amounts to - letting a person be what he really is.

What does good friends mean to a guy?

It means you are a good friend to him and nothing more. The nothing more part means he sees no chance for a romantic relationship between you. He sees no romantic future with you and just wants to be friends. At least he is being honest and upfront and not stringing you along.

What is the moral of friendship?

Friendships are amongst the most important relationships in our daily lives and they can only exist if they are morally grounded through ideas like trust, fidelity, and loyalty. The friend - the person you trust. Besides family and marriage, friendships are among the basic relationships upon which society is built.

Why do friendships end?

Ending a friendship is hard, even if you know it's something you need to do. For me, ending a friendship is even harder than ending a romantic relationship. As far as the friendships that last, they don't last simply because they're easy. They last because you mutually bring value to each other's lives.

What should avoid in friendship?

Here are a few types of friends you might want to avoid:
  • The Energy Vampire. After spending time with this person, you feel drained.
  • The Calculator.
  • The Disappearing Act.
  • The Taker.
  • The One Man Show.
  • The Drama Queen.
  • The Child That Never Grows Up.
  • The Flake.

What is the best type of friend?

8 Types Of Friends You Need To Have in Your Life
  1. A Loyal Best Friend. Sometimes a loyal best friend is the only thing you need to stay sane.
  2. A Fearless Adventurer.
  3. A Brutally Honest Confidant.
  4. A Wise Mentor.
  5. A Friend From a Different Culture.
  6. A Polar Opposite.
  7. A Friendly Neighbor.
  8. A Work Pal.

Who is the father of ethics?

Socrates: The Father of Ethics and Inquiry (The Greatest Greek Philosophers) Library Binding – August 1, 2015. Traces the life, trial, and legacy of the influential Greek philosopher, as well as the historical and social context that informed his ideas.

What are the 4 types of friendships?


4 Types of Friends: Must Friends, Trust Friends, Rust Friends & Just Friends.

What is a perfect friendship?

A perfect friendship is a friendship where you can cry as much as you want, and your friend always has a shoulder and advice for you. A perfect friendship is where you and your friend can both talk on and on without pause and without losing interest.

What is the virtue of friendship?

“As opposed to friendships of pleasure and usefulness, perfect friendship exists, Aristotle argues, between persons who are virtuous; there's no friendship among crooks. True friends wish the good of each other. Their friendship lasts as long as they are themselves good and is therefore more enduring.”

What is a reciprocal friendship?

Introduction. Friendships between two individuals are commonly assumed to be reciprocal in nature. When I say someone is “my friend,” the implication is that this person also thinks of me as a friend. In general, reciprocity is one of the expectations about affective relations (e.g. Laursen, 1993).

Can virtues be taught?

Moral virtue is learned by repetition; intellec- tual virtue can be taught and is the appropriate concern of the schools. Moral virtue is acquired, if it is acquired at all, at a very early age.

Is love a virtue Aristotle?


According to Aristotle, virtue is essential to the pursuit of happiness. When it came to love, Aristotle believed that self-love is a prerequisite to loving others. He is clear in Nicomachean Ethics that self-love is an entirely proper emotion provided it is expressed in the love of virtue.

What are good friendships based on?

Good friends are loyal and accept you for who you are during the good and bad times. Good friends are also honest — honest enough to tell you when you're not being a good friend yourself. Some people only want to surround themselves with people who will tell them what they want to hear.

What are Aristotle's virtues?

What are Aristotle's virtues?
  • Courage: The midpoint between cowardice and recklessness.
  • Temperance: The virtue between overindulgence and insensitivity.
  • Liberality: The virtue of charity, this is the golden mean between miserliness and giving more than you can afford.
  • Magnificence: The virtue of living extravagantly.