Friendship: Aristotle's Three Levels Of Friendship

A happy person needs friends. Aristotle believed in the value of friendship and felt it was important to happiness. Therefore, living a solitary life is neither the best nor the healthiest thing to do. Aristotle believed there were three levels of friendship. These three levels are friendship of utility, friendship of pleasure, and good, true friendship. Friendship is either useful, pleasant, or good. Aristotle's three levels of friendship still apply today, and I believe true and good friendship is attainable in our society. I believe these levels are still relevant today. In this essay, I will discuss what Aristotle had to say about friendship, why friendships are important for having a happy life, and whether it is possible to

They will remain friends as long as the friends remain virtuous and worthy in each other’s eyes. Some people may believe that true friendships is rare because people who are virtuous and honest are rare. Talking about true friendship, Aristotle states, “Such friendships are of course rare, because such men are few. Moreover they require time and intimacy” (Aristotle, cited in St. Peter’s List, 2016. p. 9). My own experiences with friendship is a very personal thing. I can count my real, long-term friends on one hand. I have only experienced this level of true friendship with one man, my father. With me, he is honest and I look up to him and admire him for what he’s done. It is difficult to create friendships with potential friends. It is hard to establish the trust required by true friendships. Sometimes it is necessary to endure a probationary period before making the claim that someone is a friend. A true friendship requires experience with the friend and becoming accustomed to the person, which is why these kinds of friendships are scarce. A true friendship takes time. Forming friendships today comes down to “friend requests” on social networking sites where a number appears next to your picture recording the amount of ‘friends’ you have. For Aristotle, making friends this way would be appalling. In Eudemian Ethics, Aristotle tells us, “the man who has many friends has no friend,” (Aristotle, cited in St. Peter’s List, 2016. p.