15. Aristotle's Six Reasons for Studying Friendship

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Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

Aristotle’s Six Reasons for Studying Friendship #

1. Connection to Virtue

• Friendship is either a virtue itself or exists in conjunction with virtue
• Therefore it belongs essentially to ethics and political philosophy

2. Necessity in Human Life

• No one would choose to live without friends, regardless of other advantages
• This holds across all conditions: wealth and poverty, youth and old age, prime of life
• Young need friends for guidance and restraint; old need friends because of failing physical powers
• Those in their prime need friends to accomplish great things
• “When two go together, they are more able both to understand and to act”
• Mutual intellectual and practical enhancement through friendship

3. Natural Foundation

• Friendship exists by nature (φύσει) in parent-offspring relationships
• Extends to those of the same race and ultimately to all humans
• Evidence: even animals exhibit natural parental care; humans naturally aid strangers with directions
• This natural foundation justifies ethical study: if nothing were naturally good, ethics would collapse into mere description of customs (sociology)
• Following nature means following what is divinely ordered

4. Preservation of Cities

• Friendship binds citizens together; enmity and hatred are destructive
• Lawgivers prioritize friendship even above justice
• Justice, even when deserved, can breed enmity among the accused’s supporters
• Harmony (ὁμόνοια/concordia) among citizens is the supreme legislative concern
• Internal civil strife (as in the Peloponnesian War) tears cities apart from within

5. Superiority to Justice

• When friendship exists, justice becomes unnecessary (we do not steal from or wrong friends)
• Yet justice alone is insufficient for human flourishing (even in marriage, strict justice is inadequate)
• Therefore: friendship makes justice superfluous, but justice is still needed without friendship
• “What is most just seems to fit a friend” — friendship and justice are intimately connected
• The debt of love (owed like justice) is the foundation of both

6. Noble and Intrinsically Desirable

• Friendship is not merely instrumental or necessary; it is beautiful and worthy of pursuit for its own sake
• Good men are characterized as friends; we praise those who love mankind (φιλάνθρωποι/philanthropists)
• Having many friends is considered something beautiful (καλόν)
• Good persons and friends are, in some sense, the same (especially through caritas/charity)

The Question of Similarity vs. Opposition #

Two Classical Positions #

Similarity Theory: “Like to like” (Greek proverb: “jackdaw to jackdaw”)

• Those who are alike become friends
• Based on recognizing something of oneself in the other

Opposition Theory: “Opposites attract”

• Contraries are useful to one another
• The dry earth wants rain; opposites complete each other
• Heraclitus: “The opposite is useful” and “The most beautiful harmony is from those differing”
• Examples: economic competition prevents overcharging; courtroom adversaries help juries; political opposition reveals defects
• Artistic principle: contrast of light and dark creates beauty (Rembrandt’s Man in the Helmet; night sky with stars; winter moonlight on snow)

Aristotle’s Resolution #

• Aristotle deliberately sets aside natural philosophy questions about similarity and opposition
• Focus instead: “Whatever are human and pertain to customs and passions, these we’ll examine”
• Key question: Can the bad be friends? Can there be only one form of friendship or many?
• Aristotle’s nuanced answer (to be developed): Perfect friendship is only possible between good men; imperfect friendships (based on utility or pleasure) may exist among bad men or between good and bad

The Problem of Unity vs. Multiplicity #

• Some claim friendship is one thing admitting of more and less (like sweetness)
• Aristotle counters: Things differing in kind can still admit of more and less
• Example: Wisdom is “more good” than candy, but not the same kind of good
• Similarly: different kinds of friendship exist, not merely degrees of one kind
• Analogous to the question whether paternal rule and kingly rule differ in kind or only in degree

Important Definitions #

• Φιλία (Philia/Friendship): Mutual affection and goodwill between persons; not one-sided affection but necessarily reciprocal
• Ὁμόνοια (Homonoia/Concordia): Agreement or harmony of hearts; used synonymously with friendship in political contexts
• Φιλανθρωπία (Philanthropia): Love of mankind; a natural extension of friendship’s principle beyond particular friendships
• Caritas: The theological equivalent of friendship; the perfection of natural love through grace (emphasized in Christian thought)
• Return of Love (Paradoxical Expression): Unlike returning a borrowed object, the love received by the beloved is not diminished when returned; yet we speak of returning it to express friendship’s reciprocal nature

Examples & Illustrations #

From Natural Observation #

• Mother cat in burning building: Repeatedly returned to rescue her kittens despite increasing burns; demonstrates natural parental friendship
• Tabitha’s maternal care: A house cat waited until all her kittens finished drinking from a bowl before drinking herself
• Giving directions to strangers: Evidence that friendship extends naturally to all humans, not just kin or compatriots

From Literature #

• Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice: Portia praises the friendship between Bassanio and Antonio as “godlike”; she urges her new husband to help his friend even on their honeymoon
• Homer’s Iliad: Celebrates the friendship of Achilles and Patroclus (friendship among equals)
• Homer’s Odyssey: Celebrates various friendships of unequals: Odysseus with Penelope (husband-wife), with Telemachus (father-son), with Eumaeus (master-servant)
• Shakespeare’s Macbeth: References a small bird that fights for its young even when attacked (defending offspring is natural)
• Smollett’s The Expedition of Humphrey Clinker: Old friends reunited after many years; their meeting produces “the most happy day I’ve passed these 20 years” — a “renovation of youth” and “resurrection of the dead”

Artistic Principle #

• Rembrandt’s Man in the Helmet: Beauty arises from contrast of light and darkness; if wholly lit or wholly dark, it would be less beautiful
• Night sky with stars: The contrast against black creates beauty; if all sky were illuminated, it would be garish
• Winter moonlight on snow: Black shadows cast by moon through bare trees on snow creates beauty through opposition

Notable Quotes #

“For when two go together, they are more able both to understand and to act.” — Aristotle, cited by Berquist

“No one would choose to live without friends.” — Aristotle on the necessity of friendship

“You have a noble and a true concept of godlike enmity [friendship].” — Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice (Lorenzo on Portia)

“The most beautiful harmony is from those differing.” — Heraclitus

“The opposite is useful.” — Heraclitus; foundational to American economic, judicial, and political systems (Berquist’s observation)

“Our former correspondence was forthwith renewed with the most hearty expressions of mutual goodwill.” — Smollett, Humphrey Clinker

“This was the most happy day I’ve passed these 20 years… it was a renovation of youth, a kind of recitation of the dead.” — Smollett, Humphrey Clinker

Questions Addressed #

Why Study Friendship in Ethics and Political Philosophy? #

• Because it is essential to human flourishing and to the stability of political communities
• If nothing were naturally good, ethics would be mere description of customs (cultural relativism), not a true science
• Following nature means following divine wisdom; friendship is grounded in nature

Is Friendship Based on Similarity or Opposition? #

• Natural philosophy debates this question; Aristotle sets it aside for ethical inquiry
• Both operate in different contexts; the answer requires examining human customs and passions specifically
• Perfect friendship requires some similarity (both must be good), but the question admits complexity

Why Do Lawgivers Prioritize Friendship Over Justice? #

• Justice, even when deserved, can produce enmity and internal division
• Friendship accomplishes justice’s aims (mutual respect and beneficial exchange) while avoiding its destructive side effects
• Civil harmony is the ultimate political good; friendship secures it more reliably than law

Can the Bad Be Friends? #

• Only the good can be perfect friends (full answer to come)
• Imperfect and defective friendships are possible among the bad or between good and bad
• Friendship is unified neither in kind nor merely in degree

Pedagogical Method & Handouts #

• Berquist provided supplementary readings (handout) “to loosen up your mind” beyond the formal Aristotelian treatise
• These readings explore friendship through literature, biography, and more informal language
• Topics include: excellence of friendship, concordia (the bond), return of love, flattery vs. true friendship, envy as friendship’s opposite
• This approach mirrors Aristotelian method: grounding philosophical inquiry in lived human experience