Comparative analysis of Aristotelian Equality
In Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle asserts one cannot live a virtuous and fulfilling life without the presence of a friend, despite the presence of the essential goods. In addition to his point, he states the best friendships are built upon a true equality which in turn builds on the mutual contributions and goodness of the character of the individuals within a friendship. Without equality, Aristotle argues, friendships tend to fall apart either due to eventual conflicts of interest or the friendship outliving it usefulness. However, some might argue the best friendships do not need any equality among individuals and can still produce the benefits of a Aristotle definition of the best friendship. Although this argument suggests the absence of equality produces a better friendship and life, I will defend Aristotle’s view by presenting textual evidence from of Nicomachean Ethics proving otherwise.
One of the main themes of Book VII in Nicomachean Ethics is Aristotle’s observations related to friendship, since he deemed life meaningless without it. While doing so, he identified and explained three kinds of friendship; friendships of pleasure, friendships of use, and true friendship. Aristotle states the former two are circumstantial and fleeting, particularly with friendships of pleasure. He points out that this type of friendship tends to form among young people since they live their lives under the same shortsighted circumstances,
Aristotle, on the other hand, had a much more positive outlook on the applicability of his political theory. In many ways, his ideal ideology would look much like Plato’s, although with a more guided and empirical approach. Aristotle, like Plato, argued that the state was not only necessary, but essential to the happiness of its people, because the state was the only means by which the city could achieve happiness. According to Aristotle, “the best good is apparently something complete” and likewise, that “happiness more than anything else seems complete without qualification” (Nicomachean Ethics, 205) and “everyone aims at living well and at happiness” (Politics, 315). Furthermore, he argued that “happiness is an activity of the soul expressing
Inherently, not all people have the capability to live morally upright lives. Virtues are learned traits, and while a person may have a good disposition, his choices, which he makes based on learned information, affect the kind of life he lives. Therefore, there are just people and unjust people, as there are just actions and unjust actions. The ancient philosopher Aristotle wrote about an ideal city called “The Polis,” in which citizens lived a certain way in order to achieve a common good. Although Aristotle believed that everyone should live the good life (one of happiness), he also believed that in order to achieve the good life, people should get what they deserved, even if it meant injustice was a necessary consequence for some.
Aristotle’s perspective on friendship for pleasure is clearly illustrated
There are many valuable things in life, and one of the most significant is friendship. To live a life deprived of the experience of friendship is simply a life without living. Throughout our lives we are always meeting new people and forming relationships that may or, may not grow into anything more serious than a casual conversation. Throughout the novel, The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien, friendships develop into a very serious form of brotherhood. Friendship, as well as “brotherhood” are essential parts of the novel.
Oftentimes, it is hard to tell who are true friends and who are true enemies. How does one know another person is genuinely good or bad? Frankly, it is extremely difficult to discern, and there is no sort of gold standard that can immediately detect the authenticity of a person. Ergo, when people are trying to act just in Polemarchus’ terms, they may not even be helping their so called friends because they can potentially be malicious people who do not deserve “good.” Hence, this puts the whole idea of friendship into question, and brings up for issue of friendship being based on
Although, friendship research has been carried out by researchers to studying friendship using qualitative and quantitative approach, however, this essay is going to evaluate and focus more on the contribution of qualitative
Thus, friendships must be considered a crucial relationship among people. Moreover, one of the interviewees went as far to say, "They become outcasts and incredibly depressed to the point of suicide making it necessary to make close friends. " This means
All of the main characters fight for friendship even if they do so in different ways and for different reasons. All of them feel in need of someone to talk to if it is about science, about what horrible things one has done or about being different and alone. Another feature is the loss of friendship in all cases. Victor loses his friends to death, and so does Walton while the creature never really “fulfilled his dream of being anyone’s true friend” (Jeray 69). This way the novel not only shows the importance of friendship and having companions but also the possible consequences of either being rejected by everyone or of losing beloved people partly even due to own
Friendships should be sources of warmth and comfort for those involved, but this “friendship” does not provide any
This essay’s aims are to evaluate the contribution of a qualitative approach to friendship. I will discuss how different approaches studying friendship have been developed and how the findings influenced our understanding of friendships. Also, my focus will be on the benefits of quantitative and qualitative approaches and the limits of using qualitative methods for understanding friendship. In this paper, I will focus on two major
Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics begins by exploring ‘the good’. Book I argues that, unlike other goods, “happiness appears to be something complete and self-sufficient, and is, therefore, the end of actions” (10:1097b20-21). In other words, happiness is the ultimate good. But how does one achieve happiness? Aristotle formulates this in the context of work, since for all things, from artists to horses, “the good and the doing it well seem to be in the work” (10:1097b27-28).
According to Aristotle theory on friendship, Lennie and George are virtuous friends. They had a friendship for a long time. Lennie and George both have a dream of having a farm that both of them could live on together. They want to live on a farm together without worrying. While people believe that Lennie and George were pleasure friends because they shared a dream, They have a bond and only share that dream because of that bond which is why they are virtuous friends.
Friendship is an important part of the human life that guides human existence that guides how two humans in mutual understanding and relationship relate to each other. Nehamas and Woodruff (1989) provide Aristotle's description of friendship; that is goodwill that is reciprocated. Friendship is a phenomenon that happens every day in life amongst human beings with people falling in and out of friendship. There exist various kinds of friendships that are founded upon various needs, relations, and reasons. The source of the reciprocated goodwill brings the difference between perfect or complete friendships and imperfect or incomplete friendships.
This makes me believe that Aristotle 's statement is true because one of the main causes of a friendship is happiness, and having enjoyment from one another is what causes happiness. If bad people can find enjoyment in each other then they will not find happiness in each other. This makes it impossible for them to be
A true friend does not exploit others for their needs. Whether the intentions are good or bad, the outcome is never good. In Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar, Cassius manipulates Brutus to get what he desires. Cassius uses rhetorical questions, allusions to mythical heroes, and degrading anecdotes to appeal to Brutus that Caesar should not rule, for he is not great in any way.