QUICK OVERVIEW
In this evening’s discussion program, we’ll explore some of the core concepts in Aristotle’s account of friendship. We’ll consider why one might pursue friendship, the role of ethical character, and what sorts of things help friendship flourish. We’ll also ask whether friendship can arise only among equals, or whether it’s possible for people of very different status to be friends as well (e.g., what it would take for genuine friendship to exist amidst such disparities of power, authority, or other human differences). Evening program runs from 6:30pm-8:30pm. As always free & open to the public. Learn more & RSVP here: https://merlinccc.org/calendar-event/philosophy-workshop-aristotle-on-friendship/
WHAT WE’LL EXLORE
The virtue of friendship was highly valued in ancient Greek philosophy, from the early Pythagorean fellowships, through nearly every major philosophical school and tradition, down to the final synthesis of these various schools in the Athenian Academy, more than 1,000 years after Pythagoras. In between, Aristotle devotes two out of the ten books of his Nicomachean Ethics entirely to the topic of friendship — far more space than he gives to any of the other virtues.
In this evening’s program, we’ll explore some of the core concepts in Aristotle’s account of friendship. We’ll consider the various goals toward which friendship might be directed, the need for true friends to be of good ethical character, and the conditions under which friendship can flourish.
Finally, we’ll follow Aristotle in asking whether friendship can arise only among equals, or whether it’s possible for people of very different status to be friends as well. Can a parent truly be a friend to her child, a teacher to his students, or a ruler to her subjects? Rather than a mere all-or-nothing account, we’ll be able to consider the question in terms of what it would take for genuine friendship to exist amidst such disparities of power, authority, or other human differences.
And throughout all these themes, we’ll be building a robust picture of what it takes to become, and to remain, a true friend.
WORKSHOP DISCUSSION STRUCTURE
Our discussion will be centered around some short extracts from Aristotle’s writings on friendship in Books VIII and IX of the Nicomachean Ethics, which we’ll read aloud together during the session. These should, in turn, provide the springboard for robust reflection, critique, and self-examination as we examine Aristotle’s arguments and their applicability to our own lives.
