Aristotle and the Philosophy of Friendship

Abstract

This book offers a comprehensive account of the major philosophical works on friendship and its relationship to self-love. The book gives central place to Aristotle's searching examination of friendship in the Nicomachean Ethics. Lorraine Pangle argues that the difficulties surrounding this discussion are soon dispelled once one understands the purpose of the Ethics as both a source of practical guidance for life and a profound, theoretical investigation into human nature. The book also provides fresh interpretations of works on friendship by Plato, Cicero, Epicurus, Seneca, Montaigne and Bacon. The author shows how each of these thinkers sheds light on central questions of moral philosophy: is human sociability rooted in neediness or strength? is the best life chiefly solitary, or dedicated to a community with others? Clearly structured and engagingly written, this book will appeal to a broad swathe of readers across philosophy, classics and political science.

Friendship as a Political Concept: A Groundwork for Analysis

“…Smith points out that even this model of friendship is not as clear-cut or as unproblematic as might be thought as it raises a host of questions about the contours of friendship itself (Smith 2011: 1-15). This is not to say that some have not attempted to connect a more ordinary sense of friendship to politics (Pangle 2003 andKing 2007 might be considered to be doing this). However, when this occurs the personal account tends to be understood not just in terms of the affections and a dyadic relation, but as a forum for the realisation of a more public good such as virtue or justice.…”

Republican friendship and the fall of the Roman Republic in late Elizabethan and early Jacobean drama

“…23 This connection of political constitutions and friendship seems to promote the more democratic forms of government. 24 Aristotle's quasi-democratic vision of friendship was transformed into a theory of republican friendship by Cicero. De Amicitia was much more influential than Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics in early modern England and was also considerably more completely and faithfully translated.…”

Keeping company: Educating for online friendship

“…In another recent paper, Nicholas argues that the social interaction of the game might perform some of the same functions as other real‐life encounters and suggests that gaming could be seen as a way of trying to find friends and that the bonds formed in playing characters often mirrors real life, where they have to depend on each other to achieve (Nicholas, 2014). When it comes to arguments as to whether or not such sites can offer the type of ‘loving involvement’ associated with friendship as described by philosophers (Annas, 1977; Cooper, 1977; Pangle, 2003), studies finding evidence of online activity resulting in offline support are inconclusive (Trepte et al ., 2012 argue for; Pollet et al ., 2011 argue against). How might these philosophical arguments inform the development of educational policies?…”