Epictetus Views On Friendship

The first line in The Hand Book of Epictetus says, “Some things are up to us and some are up to us,” (Epictetus, 11). This lines sums up the general teachings of stoicism. I think this line can be applied to all people and is important for people to realize. When a person realizes that they do not have

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.

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.

Individual freedom and control is also given very much emphasis in regards to stoicism in Marcus Aurelius’s, “Meditations”. This idea is self-explanatory; men have control over themselves and have the power to direct their thoughts and views. “You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” (Meditations). As men are able to control their own thoughts, they can start focusing in on things that truly matter. They can focus on more virtuous things. Philosophers have learned to control their minds and see truths that others in the world are hidden from. If these philosophers can find a way to share this information with as many people as possible, then they will have achieved their ultimate goal. These philosophers are usually the ones to be leaders of a nation. They are chosen to lead because of their understanding of how to help everybody live together in harmony and unity. As strong philosophers develop sturdy governments, it is difficult not to see how these fundamental principles are so foundational for success. Marcus Aurelius is spot on in stating that

An early Greek philosopher known as Zeno of Citium in Athens in the early third century BC founded stoicism, which is school of Hellenistic philosophy. Other forms of Hellenistic philosophy include Pythagoreanism, Sophism, Cynicism, Cyrenaicism, Platonism, Peripateticism, Pyrrhonism, Epicureanism, Eclecticism, Hellenistic Judaism, Neopythagoreanism, Hellenistic Christianity and Neoplatonism. What separates stoicism and makes it a distinctive form of Western Philosophy is the understanding of cosmic determinism and human freedom and their continual and symbiotic relationship. The main tenant is that one’s free will should be one with the will of nature and this makes one happy

Whereas, others, such as Digby Anderson (2001, p.30), have examined this deepening in friendship and argue that friendships are now “restricted” in the sense that they “have been pushed out of key social institutions such as business and are increasingly seen as belonging to recreation.” However, both Pahl and Anderson agree that there has been a notable absence of scholarly attention to the concept of friendship and from what has been discussed usually disregards key questions, including the different types of friendship (Doyle and Smith,

There are many views that Aristotle holds, one of which is on the subject of friendship. Aristotle views friendship as one of the many virtues of life, and has very interesting views on the topic. He gives three different types of friendship, and objects that are worthy of affection: Utility, Pleasure, and Good. Each of these types is differently put on the spectrum. Along with these three types of friendship, Aristotle also gives conditions to what friendship is.

Aristotle identifies the existence of three different kinds of friendships that are founded on the basis of either utility, pleasure or goodness of the friend. He views pleasure and utility to not be as binding compared to what he regards as complete friendship based on character, because in the latter the factor sustaining the social bond is more fragile relative to enduring virtues of a person. Aristotle further discusses that although a good person seems to have no apparent need for friends, they cannot lead a fulfilling life without friendship. I support Aristotle’s argument and will approach the matter from a different angle by explaining the importance of friendship in making us connected with the world. Additionally, I will pose if there

Aristotle emphasized the idea of putting honor before friendship (Aristotle I; 1096a) while at the same stating that having friends can be considered what of an essential to be happy. However, the key about Aristotle’s view of friendship really lies in the types of friendships that he insists do exist in our lives. In fact, Leonard Peikoff refers to these friendship levels as the following: “there is the person who attaches too little importance to them […] On the other hand, there is the kind of person who is obsessed with people, who is obsequious and rushes around saying to everybody, "I love you. Please love me." […] And in the middle, the golden mean, the just right amount, is the rationally friendly person (43). In an over generalized

In book eight of Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle defines the three types of friendships that exist in the Greek word philia (a broader definition of friendship than one might think), which are based off usefulness, pleasure, or goodness, the three reasons for liking something: friendships of utility, friendships of pleasure and complete friendships. In the beginning, Aristotle says that friendship is a virtue or at least involves virtue. It is necessary to life, since no one would choose to live without friends even if he had all other material goods. Friendships serve as a refuge in times of misfortune, it helps prevent the young from making error, helps the old in their weakness, helps those in the prime of life to perform noble actions and holds cities together. Parents have a natural friendship with their children, and to a certain degree those who are similar. When men are friends, there is no need of justice, but when even if men are just, friendship is still necessary; and the justice that is most just seems to belong to friendship. Friendship takes time. Aristotle distinguishes between what he believes to be a genuine friendship and two other forms: one based on mutual usefulness, the other on pleasure. These two forms only last if there is utility and pleasure, whereas a complete friendship does not dissolve.

In the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle describes “friendship” as being good in nature. In order for individuals to be friends, they need to be sympathetic towards one another and consider each other’s needs. Moreover, friendship is a necessary part of one’s emotional state. No matter how many material goods you possess, living without some sort of companionship will make you unhappy. Although Aristotle claims that a happy person needs friends, he distinguishes the concept of friendship based on three reasons: usefulness, pleasure, and virtue.

Aristotle and Confucius place the goods of friendship as the one that brings moral virtue and harmony to each other and in the

Aristotle begins by reinforcing an earlier notion that friendship is closely tied to, or is a key element in a community, and these friendships that exist between citizens, tribesmen and the like all vary based on the sort of community in which individuals find themselves. These friendships in these varying communities are based on some idea of benefit for the members within that community and, by extension, the larger or extended community in which they find themselves. This idea of friendship being determined by unifying factors is present in this section about kinsmen as well, when he said that there are varying kinds of friendships within families, but they “all seem to depend on parental friendship.” Thus, the idea of friendship being motivated by mutual benefits and common, unifying factors is seen clearly seen in the subsequent paragraphs. His choice of words creates the initial implication that friendship among

Friendship that is of utility is where both people derive some benefit from each other. Is like saying that these people are friends from each other by gaining something else from the other. They are not friends for the good of it; they are friends because there are benefits coming from them. Aristotle describes a friendship of utility as narrow, “easily dissolved” or for the old. He views them as such because this type of friendship is easily broken and based on something that is brought to the relationship by the other person. Most of the people that have this type of friendship are the young people. They do not know

“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