Aristotle and Friendship

​The concept of friendship has always been something that was close to my heart, and not just in the gushy fluffy emotional way. But rather it’s always been something that baffled, intrigued, and made logical sense to me all at the same time. When reading Aristotle’s opinion and observations about friendship, I found myself agreeing whole heartedly with his thoughts. Merely by comparing his observations with my own, such as the idea that when friendships are first form it is for mutual benefits whether pleasure or usage. However deepeningthese bonds through the parties’ similar characteristics and beliefs then pushes this friendship into becoming somethingstronger. Therefore resulting in loyalty combined alongside friendship benefiting one in their plans either politically or justice wise.

            Mainly, I suppose that is what I learned from Aristotle, not that I didn’t have any inkling about how friendship can benefit or be the reverse either politically or justice wise. But I never thought of it within those fields. It never occurred to my daily thought processes that friendship plus loyalty equals what candetermine the political parties of today goals or the king’s relationship with his subjects in the past. In addition to justice, where friendships can influence how one perceives the world around them according to the morals all parties have.

        Although there is something I disagree about Aristotle’s theory on friendship, perhaps I am being idealistic or naïve, but I believe that true friendship does exist. Where Aristotle based friendship on benefits such as pleasure and usage, I believe that is only the beginning of friendship. That it is possible for that friendship to grow deeper so that instead of bonding for benefits it is a bond from loyalty and care of the other. Most of all, I believe that there is a version of friendship where no matter what mistakes any parties make that the one who is targeted can forgive the guilty party. That the friendship will then grow stronger because of those mistakes. It’s true that Aristotle said that only friendships that have faced multiple challenges could deepen. Perhaps humans are selfish because I can see that friendship in a sense is finding others similar or maybe even completely different from yourself in order to understand yourself as a person, support a cause, feel better from helping others, or whatever ulterior motives we possibly could have. However, Socrates did say that knowledge is goodness, and so would it not be right to aid others in goodness?

         Regardless, I agree with everything that Aristotle had to share about friendship and how it is involved with justice and politics. Perhaps it is selfish and self centered to have friendship as a way to progress one’s self and others. Yet if you care about that person, and would sacrifice much for that individual, then maybe it isn’t self serving after all. Maybe, it’s understanding what it means to be human.