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Friendship Between Friendship And Friendship

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Friendship is a form of virtue and is indispensable for human life since man is a social being. There are three conditions necessary for friendship to exist: mutual goodwill, awareness of the other’s feelings in their connection, and awareness of their goodwill and attitude toward the other. According to Aristotle there are three types of friendships corresponding to the three objects of love. The first two types are similar and interconnected; they are friendship based on mutual utility and friendship based on mutual pleasure. Both of these tend to be short-lived and are easily dissolved as the feelings of one or both parties change. Friendship based on mutual utility is most common among young people because their lives are guided by feelings and they pursue what provides them joy. However, as they age and mature, what they find pleasant or joyful changes. This is why the friendships of young people are both quick to begin and to end. (1156a: 5-35) The third type of friendship is what Aristotle refers to as the complete friendship. It is the friendship between good men of similar virtue and excellence, who wish for the good of each other for the other’s sake and not for any lesser motive. Wishing a friend good for his own sake is the highest degree of friendship. These friendships lean towards being long lasting because virtue is stable. Because both friends are good, their friendship is both beneficial and pleasant. Thus they unite all three reasons for friendship. Such

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