C.S. Lewis once wrote, “Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival” (brainyquote.com). While philosophy and friendship may both be unnecessary, they are both valuable to the human experience. In the course of philosophical thinking, many philosophers, including Augustine, grapple with the concept and fulfillment of true friendship. Augustine writes of the meaning of true friendship in The Confessions, while also writing of his friendships throughout his life, using his own guidelines of what true friendship entails a revolution of his friendships can be seen alongside his transformation toward God that The Confessions is well known to showcase. In The Confessions, Augustine defines what true friendship is with the help of friendships of his past, whether good or bad, to show what friendship is and is not. In Book IV, Augustine writes, “Friendship is genuine only when you bind fast together people who cleave to you through the charity poured abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit” (The Confessions, Book IV, paragraph 7). To Augustine, true friendships are those brought and held together by God. Without God, there cannot be true friendship, and this is made evident by the comparison of two of Augustine’s friendships in his life. Through the friendships of an unnamed childhood friend and Nebridius, the reader sees a full transformation of Augustine’s friendships. The unnamed childhood friend comes to the reader in Book IV of The Confessions while Augustine is in his hometown, teaching rhetoric. As Edward C. Sellner, an associate professor of Pastoral Theology and Spirituality at the College of St. Catherine in Minnesota, wro... ... middle of paper ... ...ve and affection for this friend is clear, as is his belief that friendship on Christ survives even the yawning chasm of separation death brings” (Theology Today). Works Cited Augustine (2008). The Confessions (M. Boulding, Trans.). J. E. Rotelle (Ed.). Hyde Park, NY: New City Press. (Original work published 1997). David McFadden (d_mac18) on Twitter. (2012, December 19). Retrieved April 27, 2014, from https://twitter.com/d_mac18 Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather... - C. S. Lewis at BrainyQuote. (n.d.). Retrieved April 21, 2014, from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/c/cslewis105239.html Sellner, E. C. (1991). Like a Kindling Fire: Meanings of Friendship in the Life and Writings of Augustine. Spirituality Today, 43(3), 240-257. Retrieved from http://www.spiritualitytoday.org/spir2day/91433sellner.html
Friendship can be debated as both a blessing and a curse; as a necessary part of life to be happy or an unnecessary use of time. Friends can be a source of joy and support, they can be a constant stress and something that brings us down, or anywhere in between. In Book 9 of Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle discusses to great lengths what friendship is and how we should go about these relationships. In the short story “Melvin in the Sixth Grade” by Dana Johnson, we see the main character Avery’s struggle to find herself and also find friendship, as well as Melvin’s rejection of the notion that one must have friends.
Unlike other texts of the time, Augustine’s confessions are less of an epic tale or instructive texts, both of which soug...
Lewis may believe that friendship has a crown, but he does not believe that friendship and the appreciation love that motivates it is the most royal of the loves. He believes that agape, or charity, is the is the ultimate ruling love. He would not consider friendship and appreciation love to be a ruling love because it can be a source of virtue, but also a source of vice. Lewis then goes on to explain that friendship proper, this “crown of life” as Aristotle puts it, is not needed. Lewis claims that friendship is the least necessary and natural of the loves. By saying this he did not mean that friendship proper is unnatural, but is the least dependent of the loves on our biology and are therefore not needed. Moderns often view this notion of friendship as an objection, but to Lewis it is not an objection. Lewis believes that the least needed or unnecessary things in life are the best, since we love them not because we need them, but because they are teleological, as Aristotle would phrase
Augustine. “Confessions”. The Norton Anthology of Western Literature. 8th ed. Vol. 1. New York: W.W. Norton, 2006. 1113-41. Print.
St. Augustine considers his mother as a crucial factor in his conversion to Catholicism. However through the analysis of his Confessions it leads me to believe that St. Augustine’s mother was not a decisive figure. Monica was in the background keeping him in thought and prayer however Augustine’s watershed moments came as a result of his own examination of readings as well as his conversations with his friends and mentors. Therefore I argue that Monica had delayed Augustine’s baptism and it was his own experiences that allowed him to come to God.
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.
friendship that it is so valuable? And, more specifically, how does this truth fit with
Cicero explained the strength of friendship when compared to the bond existing due to kinship. He explained that the friendship required goodwill as explained by Aristotle. However, in his view about friendship Cicero defined friendship as a particular identity that is strengthened by affection and goodwill. According to him, it is the absolute feeling by an individual about everything and anything on earth and heaven. Cicero explains the importance of friendship and the advantages of being free and open to oneself. He explains that friends should express themselves freely without hiding internal thoughts. He says that friendship is like money, and nobody can take it away. He goes ahead to say that famous and true friendship is supposed to be enduring and strong. Unlike Aristotle, Cicero did not categorize his
...ip and they lack what it takes for a real friendship to flourish. Aristotle talks about how “cities are built around friendships” and believe this to be so true because friendships can mature into such greater things. A friendship consists of so many things within it, a true virtuous relationship relies on communication, trust, loyalty, and many other things. These qualities that make up a good friendship are nonexistent in a Utility or Pleasure relationship.
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,
After stating this, Augustine continues to support his statement by talking about friendship. Is the friendship Augustine mentions lustful or sincerely about love? "Thus I polluted the stream of friendship with the filth of unclean desire and sullied its limpidity with the hell of lust." (pg. 35) Obviously Augustine is letting the idea of love turn straight to lust. He talks about unclean desires, but he says he wants to be clean and courtly. Maybe Augustine has the wrong idea about love.
Why does St. Augustine seek God? Through his Confessions we come to understand that he struggled a great deal with confusion about his faith, before finally and wholeheartedly accepting God into his life. But we never get a complete or explicit sense of what led Augustine to search for God in the first place. Did he feel a void in his life? Was he experiencing particular problems in other relationships that he thought a relationship with God would solve for him? Or perhaps he sought a sense of security from religion? A closer analysis of the text of St. Augustine’s Confessions will provide some insight into these fundamental questions.
While early Christians might have had differing opinions on friendship, that could have been result of Seneca and St. Augustine’s difference in views on the topic. Seneca, himself had thought of being in commune with others as an important topic as it is prominent in Letters from a Stoic but should be enjoyed in moderation according to the text. Seneca talks about moderation in the sense less is more as far as friends go “Associating with people in large numbers is actually harmful: there is not one of them that will not make some vice or other attractive to us, or leave us carrying t...
[1] Augustine. The City of God against the Pagans. Trans. R. W. Dyson. Cambridge, 1998.
Rev. D.J. Leary. St. Augustine on Eternal Life. Burns, Oates and Washbourne, Ltd., London : 1939.