I would define friendship as complete trust and love between two people. Many people believe that this kind of behavior is reciprocated between two individuals without any expectations. A friend is someone who also provides you with support and whom you can rely on to celebrate special moments with. A friend also comes with many great attributes; such as loyalty, honesty, compassion, trust, and morality. Today’s friend is viewed as someone who shares happiness, common values, history, and equality with another. For example, Aristotle and Cicero both wrote dialogues about friendship and its significance on mankind. Therefore, the key issues that will be discussed are: their views on the similarities of friendship, the differences between friends, …show more content…
Aristotle believed that friendship consists of three categories. The three categories are utility, pleasure and perfect friendship. Utility is considered to be temporary and changes depending on the situation. This type of friend is not an ideal one because he or she is only useful when the given situation benefits one or more persons in the friendships. When you are no longer able to render services the friendship ceases to exist. “Those who love for utility or pleasure, then, are fond of a friend because of what is good or pleasant for themselves, not insofar as the beloved is who he is, but insofar as he is useful or pleasant” (Nichomachean Ethics, VIII.3). Those engaged in this type of friendship seek only gain and profit. A friendship based on pleasure is the enjoyment of something. I believe pleasure is important but it cannot be the overall foundation of a true friendship. The relationship will end if pleasure is the only reason for friendship, especially when one no longer finds pleasure in an activity. For example, if I can no longer make you laugh then what am I good for? Can you actually call that type of person a genuine friend if all they are seeking is pleasure only? What about when there are hard times, and the pleasure no longer exists? Will the friendship still exist? According to Aristotle’s the perfect friendship …show more content…
Cicero believes all about the good in friendship whereas Aristotle believes friendship should be placed in categories. He also believes the old cliché that with friendship “you scratch my back, ill scratch yours.” I think that these two men are very knowledgeable on what friendship really is. Aristotle sounds like an opportunist to me. He would not be considered a loyal friend in my eyes and I would not scratch his back for a million bucks. Through both of their differences, you can clearly see who the “jerk” is, and who the sincere one is. You can see the “sharing out of the goodness of one’s heart” form of friendship as described by Cicero. Meanwhile, Aristotle claims that a friend gives only because he or she expects something in return. I refuse to allow myself or my views on friendship to be manipulated by Aristotle’s arrogance. Everyone in life deserves a friend that does not look for a reward. I personally like the saying “it’s better to have loved than to have never loved at all”. I believe that you should be someone’s friend whole heartedly and if you cannot be that person’s friend whole heartedly then don’t be their friend at all. There is a saying that I have formed from my own personal experience and it is “If you can’t exist in peace, don’t exist in pieces”. Although, some may not agree with Cicero and may even prefer Aristotle’s views that he has
Webster defines friendship as the emotions or conduct of friends; the state of being friends. Growing up you realize that every relationship is tested throughout time and some make it through that time and others do not.
Cicero believed friends were people you could use as leverage by building loyalty and connections to build one’s social structure to achieve the highest prize of them all: consulship. According to Cicero, friendship creates problems, stating, “Your exalted character has compelled many to pretend to be your friends while really jealous of you” (Cicero 42). What Cicero is implying is that everyone is jealous of everyone else, and by making friends to become consul you also attract enemies who also desire power. Cicero describes three of these opponents as “First, those whom you have attacked; second, those who dislike you without definite reason; third, those who are warm friends of your competitors” (Cicero 42). One cannot please all in Rome, Cicero recounts, and because of this bitter struggle over power and private ambition friendship breeds enemies..
So while Cicero intentionally diverges from the style of Aristotle, he nevertheless adopts many of Aristotle’s maxims. Like Aristotle, Cicero argues that one must “place friendship above every other human concern” and that “friendship is only possible between good men” who are similar and equal to each other. Furthermore, in claimin...
In Cicero 's argument, he believes that because your friend had the audacity to ask a good friend a favor that is wicked, makes the person who asked an unvirtuous man. If a friend were to accept the favor, the whole virtue of the friendship would be questions, but if a friend denies another friend a favor he would be breaking the laws of friendship, “we must not ask wrongful things, nor do them, if we are asked to. For if a man should declare that he has done a thing of this kind for a friend’s sake, the excuse in ordinary affairs, and especially so if the act was treasonable” (Cicero, 95). Besides virtue, which plays a large role in his argument, a minor quality is the trust within the relationship. I discovered that it is not only about asking the proper questions and favors, but always have faith in your friend that they will see the good in your acts.
As previously mentioned, Aristotle has identified three different types of friendships. The first is friendship based on utility. This is a friendship in which both parties become involved with each other for their own personal benefit. An example would be a working relationship with an individual. These are people who do not spend much time together, possibly because they do not like each other, and therefore feel no need to associate with one another unless they are mutually useful. They take pleasure from each other’s company just for their own sake. Aristotle uses the elderly and foreigners as examples of friendships based on utility.
II In Books VIII and IX, Aristotle discusses the role of friendship in the good life.
A picture collage of best friends, a credit card, a pair of keys that unlock a car and a house, a picture of a favorite athlete and last but not least, a minion plush toy. All these items are representative of a common idea: the good life. The ability to surround one’s self around people who love them, the ability to purchase any item deemed necessary for living, having a home and car to shelter one from the outside world, people to look up to and the idea that everyone works hard and is equal are all ideas represented by the good life according to typical college students. However, while college students may have an idea on what the good life really is, perhaps someone who would know it better is Aristotle. The basis of Aristotle’s argument
By definition a friend is a person who provides assistance and support. We have different groups of friends for different purposes in our lives. Although there are many different categories of friends, Marion Winik author of “What are Friends For?” mentions that some of the more common groups consist of the faraway, work, family, and former friends (132). We keep our friends because we value their loyalty, communication, support, and dependability.
Philosophers have discuss and debate about friendship and the true meaning to be a friend to others Aristotle have given requirements as well as qualities a friend possession within different types of friendships. He debates that a good man does not need friends but the points he brings up proves that a good man can not live a pleasant life in solitary.
Aristotle presents his view of the mutual desire for good in others, or Friendship in his work, The Nicomachean Ethics. He asserts that friendship comes in three types, Virtue Friendship, Use Friendship, and Pleasure Friendship. He distinguishes Virtue Friendship as the perfect friendship, leaving Use Friendship and Pleasure friendship as deficient friendships. C.S. Lewis presents his view of friendship, which is motivated by appreciation love, in his book The Four Loves in a manner seeming to correspond to Aristotle’s concept of Virtue Friendship. Lewis also presents his perception of Companionship, which seems to correspond to Aristotle’s notion of Use and Pleasure Friendships. Lewis presents a more modern and seemingly accurate rehabilitation
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.
Friendship is a wonderful part of life, but unfortunately, it can be used to deceive. It is easy to manipulate, but true friendship cannot be defeated, even after death. This element could well be the very thing that sealed the fate of Julius Caesar. Brutus, Cassius, and all the other conspirators knew that they could use friendship to their advantage and Caesar's disadvantage. The conspirators used friendship as a cover to blind Caesar from the truth, just as a hunter uses camouflage to keep the animals from seeing what he is up to.
Friendship is an interpersonal relationship between two people that is mutually productive and can be characterized by mutual positive regard. Friendship should enhance the potential of each person involved and should only be productive. You must like each other in order to call it a friendship, and
Friendship is a relationship that all the individuals can create by themselves. Though it is not a god gifted relationship like that of the relationship of a mother, father, sister, brother or any of the other family but still it is one of the best relations an individual can possess. People who have true friends consider themselves as the luckiest individuals on earth.
Friendship is the most wonderful relationship that anyone can have. Ideally a friend is a person who offers love and respect and will never leave or betray us. Friends can tell harsh truths when they must be told. There are four different types of friends: True friends, Convenient friends, Special interest friends, and historical friends. To have friendship is to have comfort. In times of crisis and depression, a friend is there to calm us and to help lift up our spirits.