Football And Aristotle 's Philosophy Of Friendship

From humanity comes friendship, but friendship may not be as one-dimensional and simplistic as the common person believes it to be- it may not stop at the surface level. In David Whyte’s book, Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words, he writes on friendship, exposing the true facets of an authentic friendship that oftentimes are overlooked by many people. In Whyte’s opinion, friendship is an eternal experience, or at least an experience in which people take part over an extended period of time. The need for continuous support and forgiveness from and for both parties in a friendship presupposes this prolonged temporality. Naturally, as friendships take constant conscious effort, they require interest

According to Aristotle, one can experience three different types of friendship. The first type is a friend who is used for utilitarian purposes. Aristotle, however, quickly dismisses this type. As an example, Aristotle explains that one could never be friends with wine; while wine is satisfying to the person drinking the wine, no person ever wishes wine good fortune (Aristotle, 32). In order for a relationship between two people to be considered a friendship, one must want good things for the person who they consider their friend and vice versa (Aristotle, 32). Aristotle continues to describe another type of friendship, which is friendship for pleasure. According to Aristotle, young adults are most likely to pursue pleasure-related friendships, because the young are more likely to live to please their emotions; they develop friendships and erotic relationships quickly (Aristotle, 33). Aristotle notes that since young people make decisions based on their emotions, they are quick to change passions, friendships, and lovers (Aristotle, 33). Although both parties receive equal pleasure in this type of friendship, Aristotle says that it is not a complete type of friendship because it is short-lasting (Aristotle, 33). Aristotle considers only one type of friendship to be complete, and that is friendship that is devoted to the other person’s virtue. This type of friendship, Aristotle says, is a friendship that is developed slowly and infrequently; this is the only type of

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

Their friendship develops from hate, to getting by, to happiness, and finally for abandonment. The characters in both stories demonstrate the three types of friendships identified by Aristotle and presented by Todd May in this article “Friendship in the Age of Economics.” Most of the time , the characters demonstrate friendships of pleasure or usefulness. Todd May says that, “Consumer pleasures are transient.

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.

Various people refer to a friendship as a violin. The music may stop every now and then, but most importantly, the strings last forever. A friendship may have its ups and downs, but a true friendship should never perish. John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men illustrates the importance of a close friendship, and the dependability that comes along with that relationship. Thomas Aquinas, an Italian philosophers, wisely said, “There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than a true friendship” (Aquinas).

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.

In her essay, “What Are Friends For?” Marion Winik does an admirable job of placing the people in her life into categories based on what those people meant to her. Two of the many categories she talks about are Buddies, and the Relative Friend. In this essay, I will talk about these two types of friends using examples from

In his essay “The Meaning of Friendship in a Social-Networked World”, author Alex Pattakos argues that social networking is eroding the true meaning of friendship, and that people need to take stock of the possible impact on their lives. He believes that while people may think these networking platforms make them more socially connected, the opposite is actually true. Pattakos claims this is happening because our “social connections” made through these networks are shallow in nature and do not stand up to the traditional definition of friendship. He also claims that humans are drawn to this type of easy friendship as opposed to the work involved in creating a true, face-to-face friendship. The author successively communicates his admonition by using appeals to ethos and pathos to make the audience consider putting their devices down before their relationships completely disconnect.

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.

Aristotle dedicates two books to the topic of friendship in Nicomachean Ethics. For Aristotle, friendship is essential for achieving eudaimonia (Happiness). He discusses three types of friendships; friendships of utility, pleasure, and complete (or true) friendship. Unlike friendships of utility and pleasure, complete friendships are not self-centered. Friendship based on utility and pleasure is not lasting; when there is no longer pleasure or usefulness, the friendship ceases.

With the rise of social media and other forms of online communication, people have the opportunity to connect with old and new friends alike. However, this connection through technology has changed how people view friendship. In his article “Faux Friendships,” William Deresiewicz discusses how much the ideas of friendship have changed over time. He argues that “…friendship, for the ancients, was rare, precious, and hard-won,” but now, “We can be friends

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.

“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.

easeaseaeeesaeaeeIn conclusion, we must be careful to include the elements of contingency and transience in a description of friendship. In the strictest sense, no one “needs” friends. We can survive without having purely social relations with anyone. Humans have need of only food and shelter to survive and yet, there are few people that we encounter who would not count their friends among their greatest assets. However, these unique relationships among people support our society and gives enormous contribution to our life. The transience and contingencies of friendship should be construed as a suggestion of friendship’s unworthiness. It is the spark of countless stories, the reason wars are fought, and the answer to the quest for peace.