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Aristotle On Friendships
What is the meaning of importance of friendship
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Christianity is studied and followed by people all over the World. Jesus Christ along with God emphasized that genuine friendship is an essential aspect of life. Genuine friendship and true love are similar in a sense that your friend, boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, or wife all want to see you do well for yourself as you want the same for them. Aristotle pointed out in his book Nicomachean Ethics, that there are three kinds of genuine friendship. The first essential aspect of friendship is based on utility stated above where both people in a friendship gain some benefit from each other. The second type of friendship is based on pleasure. Sure people are drawn to each other off of looks, but the qualities within a person are just a crucial in sustaining a relationship or even a …show more content…
The last kind of friendship is based on depth and the goodness of it. You want to see the ones you love strive for greatness. In the beginning of a friendship it is not deep, but after investing in each other’s time it gets deeper and more authentic. This is the start of becoming best friends. The only other friendship that is higher than best friends is marriage where you than become one. Christians often tend to become friends with one another by going to their local church for a gathering known as mass. All ages are welcome to join in on any given mass and it is quite an experience to see your spiritual lives grow between one another through the Church. Christians continue to grow through sacraments. Sacraments are a, “Religious ceremony or act of the Christian Church that is regarded as an outward and visible sign of inward and spiritual divine grace”(Dictionary.com). There are seven sacraments, which include Baptism, Eucharist, Reconciliation, Marriage, Confirmation, Holy Orders, and Anointing of the Sick. Meeting God in sacraments is God’s best love and gift to build your own life and friendships. Individually there is a body element, which is a unique sign that senses
The second type of friendship is a friendship based on pleasure. This friendship is made between two people that wish to gain pleasure from one another. Aristotle uses the young as an example here. Friendship between the young is grounded on pleasure because the lives of the young are regulated by their feelings, and their main interest is in their own pleasure and the opportunity of the moment. They are quick to create and destroy friendships because their affection changes as fast as the things that please them do. Aristotle felt that this sort of pleasure changes rapidly. The young also have a tendency to fall in love, thus creating an erotic friendship which is swayed by the feelings and based on pleasure.
Since men act in ways that bring their lives happiness, it is generally found that friendship brings happiness; however different kinds of friendship bring different types of happiness. Regardless of the type of friendship, what can be agreed and accepted is that the best type of friendship will be virtuous. “[G]oodwill, when it is reciprocal being friendship… To be friends, then, they must be mutually recognized as bearing goodwill and wishing well to each other” (Nicomachean Ethics, 8.2, 1155b-1156a 34- 5). Friendship requires reciprocal well-wishing, and mutual awareness based on lovable qualities, such as the good, the pleasant and the useful. By analyzing these three kinds of friendship, it will be proven that the friendship is a virtue or rather a good action.
A friendship is a bond shared with another person, typically of common interests. A friend is honest, loyal, faithful, and trustworthy. It's someone you can share secrets, memories, fears, and dreams with. They stand by you despite arguments or disputes that might arise. Friendships can bring joy, as well as pain; friends want the best for each other, and sometimes sacrifices must be made. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck speaks of the advantages and pitfalls to a friendship.
Aristotle believes that everyone is in need of some type of friend, he states that “for rich people and those who rule and have power, there seems to be the greatest need for friends.”(page. 144, book VIII) Aristotle believes that we as humans benefit greatly from having friends, no matter who we are or what position we are in wealthy or poor. There are three distinct types of friendship that Aristotle directs his beliefs towards. These three types of friendships include: Utility, pleasure, and Goodness or virtuous friendship. Aristotle believes that friendship is something that is extremely important to have and should be held above many things. Friendship Utility is unlike the friendships of pleasure or goodness because as Aristotle puts it is “for the old” he explains that friendship Utility is a friendship that two people may have where they only communicate with one another for self-benefit or to gain something for one’s self. These two people are not likely to live with each other and at times may not even be nice to th...
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,
Here he explains that a friendship relies on love, saying “for goodwill is established by love, quite independently of calculation of profit: and it is from love, amor, that the word for friendship, amicitia, is derived” (191). Love brings together friends, and keeps the friendship strong. Also Friendship must be genuine in that no falsity can be present. Cicero states “it cannot under any circumstance be derived from any calculation of potential profit” (191). This means that a friendship must not be derived from the profit of one person or the other. That the friendship must derive instead from the genuine affection (or love) that both people feel for one another. Friendship will forever rely on the goodness of the people in it. As Cicero says “friendship owes its entire origin and character. Without goodness, it cannot even exist”
Let us first examine the similarities of friendship with that of happiness and virtue, which we discussed previously is the most necessary part of a happy life. Aristotle describes happiness by saying “happiness is most choiceworthy of all the goods (1097b17-18).” His idea of choiceworthy is something we choose “because of itself, never because of something else (1097b).” Friendship is seen as similar to happiness when Aristotle describes friendship as “choiceworthy in its own right (1159a27).” Proven earlier, virtue is necessary for a happy life because “happiness is a certain sort of activity of the soul in accord with virtue (1099b26-27).” Since virtue is such an integral part of happiness, the similarity between friendship and virtue is relevant to the relationship between friendship and a happy life. Aristotle describes virtues as “states (1106a14),” and at the same time describes friendship as “a state (1157b30),” as well. He goes on further to say, “Just as, in the case of virtues, some people are called good in their state of character, others good in their activity, the same i...
In his Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle describes both justice and friendship as an intertwining bond that hold together a society. Subsequently, Aristotle makes reference to three (3) kinds of friendship. The first is friendship based on utility, where both people derive some benefit from each other; a lowest form of friendship. During this stage, the friendship is still at its lowest form, shallow and or “easily dissolved”. This so-called friendship is in its exploratory phase, as each person is still discovering and learning about the other person’s personality, perhaps likes and dislikes and how one fits in the other’s needs. During this phase, the friendship is also fragile or easily broken; it’s perhaps in the inception phase. Additionally,
By distinguishing which type of friendship internal friendship belongs to, defining what a friend is, and attributing that definition to both good men and bad men, Aristotle relates friendship to self-love. Earlier in The Nicomachean Ethics, specifically in Book VIII, Aristotle states that friendship is threefold. There are three types of friendship that deal with three different concepts: utility, pleasure, and goodness. The first kind is where both parties essentially use each other for material goods. In this case, the two people do not love each other, but only love the profit they benefit from.
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.
Intimacy and friendship both help preserve ones physical and mental well-being. Friendship is the foundation for which a strong love relationship develops. When individuals become friends they share interests, values, trust, understanding, and enjoyment and this is the root from which love grows. The difference between the intimacy of friendship and love is that they each satisfy different needs. Romantic partners satisfy emotional support, money, sexual activity, and shared legal statues, whereas friends provide only emotional support.
What is Christianity and why has it been able to develop into a continuously growing and evolving religion?
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.
Your best friends, unlike your social circle, will not only be complimentary, but will always give you honest feedback. Best friends are in contact with each other every day and both work toward their friendship goals to allow it to continue down a healthy path of friendship. When something serious happens in your life, your best friend will sympathize and empathize with you, and then help you figure out how to fix it and move on. Best friends will give you advice when you really need it and are honest about their opinions. Loyalty, honesty, and commitment are the top priorities of a growing best friendship. Friends in your social circle can not keep secrets from others, but you can confide in your best friends about anything and they know everything about your life: the good, the bad, and the
We do not make friends because they are useful but the bond of friendship, once it grows stronger and stronger has a number of positive aspects. There are certain secrets that can only be shared with our friends only. When we are facing a difficult situation in our lives, only true friends come forward to help us overcome all the difficulties.