Aristotle's Argument On Friendship

Aristotle identifies the existence of three different kinds of friendships that are founded on the basis of either utility, pleasure or goodness. 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 social bond is more fragile as it is founded upon vested interests compared to enduring virtues of character in a complete friendship. 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,

Speaking from an objective point of view, even if they are naive about this fact, it does not disregard that there is something important missing. Friendship is required for a good life because true relationships are a means for a person to be connected with the world by valuing the personal attachments formed with people as well as be in tune with reality. Living a solitary life makes the person disconnected from others, this is a problem because it makes it difficult for the person to critically evaluate themselves in a way to develop their identity as they do not receive valuable input from external sources. The kind of feedback can only be gained from complete friendships, as pleasure and utility friends are inadequate to provide accurate evaluations since their relationship is to some degree fueled by self-interested motivations. If one relies solely on themselves, they will not be able to properly assess reality or develop genuine ties that would have made their lives more fulfilling. Thus, to lead a good life a person cannot live alone and they must have character