Effectiveness, Pleasure, And Virtue In The Norton Book Of Friendship By Aristotle

Aristotle once said, “Friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies.” There are many things that go into the process of friendship. Some people deal with friendship one way while others deal with it in another way. Cicero had a lot to say about the different aspects of friendship in his time, but how would he view modern friendship? Some friendships Cicero may not be proud of; like the common relationships that are forced on in a classroom or work place and the lack of allowing nature to take control and make the friendships that are meant to happen. However, Cicero would be happy with the way the higher level friendships have developed in virtue

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

The first friendship that Aristotle mentions in NE VIII.3. is the friendship of utility. Aristotle’s initial claim about the friendship of utility is that “... those who love each other because of utility do not love each other for themselves but in the virtue of some good which they get from each other (NE VIII.3. 1156a.10-12)”. Here Aristotle is claiming

Aristotle’s Book 9 of Nicomachean Ethics discusses the importance of friendship in an individual's life. Throughout the book, he hints at this idea of friendship. In Book 8.1, he writes, “In poverty as well as in other misfortunes, people suppose that friends are their only refuge. And friendship is a help to the young, in saving them from error, just as it is also to the old, with a view to the care they require and their diminished capacity for action stemming from their weakness; it is a help also to those in their prime in performing noble actions, for 'two going together' are better able to think and to act.” (N. Ethics 8.1). In other words, Aristotle emphasizes this idea that life is easier when there is a friend to support you; it is difficult

What is the ultimate purpose of friendship? What is the desired outcome- status, wealth, amusement, or perhaps, the betterment of morality?

Friendships of pleasure are based on the amount of pleasure the people get from being in the relationship. People who go to football matches together, or who go to the pub together might be in this type of relationship. They are friends for their own sake, because the friendship brings them pleasure and enjoyment, not for their friend’s sake. Friendships of pleasure are common among young people. Young people quickly become friends and quickly cease to be friends because what pleasures them changes constantly.

I personally believe that Aristotle covered all aspects of friendship because you have to think hard and deep about what he is trying to get across. He is not trying to tell us we should do this and that for a certain type of bond, but he is telling us what this type of friendship will be like and what we should expect to happen and to at least try and aim for this goal. He is speaking in past tense rather than present because he does not want it to seem as if he is telling us what to do like we have no choice but to follow what he is saying. For example when he says that our highest goal is happiness, I agree with that because what mortal would just

Aristotle states that in order to be friends with someone there has to be a mutual goodwill. Does this mean that friendships of goodness is the only true kind of friendship? Or can you be friends with someone for utility or pleasure? Using Aristotle's theory on friendships in the book Nicomachean Ethics can help answer this question. Friendships of utility is when you only care about being someones friend because you want to get something out of it.

Within book 8 and 9 of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, he concludes that an excellent friendship is the most choice-worthy good an individual can externally attain (Aristotle 149, 1170a, section 7). However, in chapter 3 of book 8, Aristotle asserts the finest friendships are enduring insofar the individuals are good, and the virtues remain similar. However, his proposal about the similarities of virtues doesn't seem entirely correct since people gradually change over time, but the relationship can continue to be good and the individuals remain close friends. Aristotle would assert that if the virtuous character of the friend were to change, the friendship could potentially dissolve; unless the agent can return their friend to their original state of similarity. This is because his assertion about an enduring friendship requires that the individuals are both good and similar in virtuous behaviour. Nevertheless, this essay aims to argue that friendships are enduring through the means of gaining/building a state of mutual confidence in our friend, rather individuals being similar in virtue.

Beth has friendships with her parents, Claire, and Tony. According to Aristotle, friendship is a characteristic of a good individual. Aristotle believes that friendship is essential to life since they help people in times of poverty and misfortune (Ackrill 36). Furthermore, Aristotle was of the opinion that associations help the young to support the old in their moments of weakness and assist others to perform noble actions.

Friendship plays an integral role in Aristotle’s theory of virtue ethics, an ethical system that emphasizes the importance of a person’s character as opposed to their actions. Aristotle devoted time to this in a number of his works. Perhaps this is most well-pronounced in books 8 and 9 of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics and in book 7 of Eudemian ethics. Aristotle believed that a human beings friendship can be divided in to three different categories, friendships of utility, of pleasure and of virtue. If one is to understand the aim of all ethics as a pursuit of human happiness then one may be able to understand why Aristotle views the ideal of friendship as an integral aspect of his theory “if someone were offered every good thing - wealth, good health, pleasures and

In the book Aristotle and the Philosophy of Friendship, (based off the Nicomachean Ethics) the author, Pangle, informed the audience that Aristotle believe in three different types of friendships based off three different types of motives: Friendships of Utility, Friendships of Pleasure, and Perfect Friendship. He identifies these types of friendships as different types of sources of affection that are lovable as the good, the pleasant, and the useful. Before analyzing Aristotle three types of friendships we must first understand what he meant by friendship. During Aristotle’s rein friendship was commonly known as the love one person had for another. Philia, brotherly love, was essential

The 5 basis set up in Aristotle’s Ethics are explained on page 252 and are as followed; “A person who wished for and does what is good or what appears to him to be good for his friends sake, a person who wished for the existence and life of his friend for a friends sake, a person who spends his time in our company, whose desires are the same as ours, and a person who shared sorrow and joy with his friend. An overall message of “one must do well for others in order to be a proper friend”1 can be understood with the five basis of friendship to determine if a person is an ideal friend.

When Aristotle discusses friendship, he introduces the idea that a virtuous friend is someone who loves or likes another person for the sake of that other person. He calls “good will” the wanting of what is good for the sake of another, and friendship can be defined as shared good will, if each recognizes good will in the other. It seems that Aristotle is leaving room for the idea that in all three kinds of friendships, those based on utility, goodness, and pleasure, the individuals wish each other well for the sake of the other. As Aristotle continues to develop his classification, he chooses not to exploit the possibility that friendships of utility and pleasure desire to benefit the other

The pleasures gained from enjoying another’s company in a friendship vary in age, gender and, even more specifically, in individuals. Where a young child may experience a strong liking for his or her companion’s presence on multiple occasions, an adult will be content with one solid interaction. The transition from childhood to adulthood also alters the level of comfort one feels within a friendship. As one ages, one becomes more sensitive to the actions of those around them and will quickly eliminate a friend if his or her doings are not favored. (Doyle, Smith 5) This assessment is a clear indication of how Aristotle emphasizes the benefit of comfort in a relationship