The Idea Of Friendship In Paul Simon's 'No Man Is An Island'

Within book 8 and 9 of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, he concludes that an excellent friendship is the most choice-worthy good an individual can externally attain (Aristotle 149, 1170a, section 7). However, in chapter 3 of book 8, Aristotle asserts the finest friendships are enduring insofar the individuals are good, and the virtues remain similar. However, his proposal about the similarities of virtues doesn't seem entirely correct since people gradually change over time, but the relationship can continue to be good and the individuals remain close friends. Aristotle would assert that if the virtuous character of the friend were to change, the friendship could potentially dissolve; unless the agent can return their friend to their original state of similarity. This is because his assertion about an enduring friendship requires that the individuals are both good and similar in virtuous behaviour. Nevertheless, this essay aims to argue that friendships are enduring through the means of gaining/building a state of mutual confidence in our friend, rather individuals being similar in virtue.

Jill McCorkle once said “The silver friend knows your present and the gold friend knows all of your past dirt and glories. Once in a blue moon there is someone who knows it all, someone who knows and accepts you unconditionally, and someone who is there for life”. McCorkle’s description of a “gold friend” reminds me of a novel I recently read called “Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet” where friendship is universal and described as a bridge that connect all social gaps including gender, race and differences in abilities. Throughout the book, author Jamie Ford has succeeded to show readers that friendship is the most precious gift of life and it is also the most valuable thing to pursuit by giving details about how characters in his book such as Henry, Keiko and Sheldon help each other in the hardest time of their lives.

In Aristotle’s book Nicomachean Ethics, book eight; he talks about three different types of friendship. Aristotle believes in three different types of friendship, the three being utility, pleasure, and good/virtue. Friendship that is based off of utility is good for the sake of some other end. Meaning that people are only friends with one another because they both benefit from it. A friendship based off of pleasure is one where both people are attracted to one another based off of what they look like and who they are as a person.

From humanity comes friendship, but friendship may not be as one-dimensional and simplistic as the common person believes it to be- it may not stop at the surface level. In David Whyte’s book, Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words, he writes on friendship, exposing the true facets of an authentic friendship that oftentimes are overlooked by many people. In Whyte’s opinion, friendship is an eternal experience, or at least an experience in which people take part over an extended period of time. The need for continuous support and forgiveness from and for both parties in a friendship presupposes this prolonged temporality. Naturally, as friendships take constant conscious effort, they require interest

The beginning of Book eight of the Nicomachean Ethics states that friendship is a “kind of virtue and it is also most necessary for living” (Book VIII, 1155a, 1-2). Friendships connect to all walks of life, with friends we can help young from making mistakes and assist the elderly in life through their delicate state they cannot do themselves. The most significant power friendship has is the ability to hold communities and how it’s closely connected to justice (Book VIII, 1155a, 20-26). Which is interesting because it seems that by human nature we strive for the sense of harmony in a community. We aim for happiness between community members and happiness as a whole. Aristotle later comments that a possession of many friends are one of the fine things of life and it is a splendid thing to obtain.

Friendship, according to Aristotle there are 3 definitions of friendship. Friendship of Utility, “thus friends whose affection is based on utility do not love each other in themselves, but in so far as some benefit accrues to them from each other.” Friendship of Pleasure, “And similarly with those whose friendship is based on pleasure: for instance, we enjoy the society of witty people not because of what they are in themselves, but because they are agreeable to us.” Friendship of the Good. “The perfect form of friendship is that between the good, and those who resemble each other in virtue. For these friends wish each alike the other’s good in respect of their goodness, and they are good in themselves; but it is those who wish the good of their friends for their friends’ sake who are friends in the fullest sense, since they love each other for themselves and not accidentally. Hence the

Friendships is a poem by Erica Fryberg that can relate to almost anybody who has experienced real and fake friendships, as it is about the speaker’s perspective on friendships, and the difference between having real and fake friends, forced friendships and real friendships. Through a comparison of friendships and furniture, the poet uses a humorous tone to describe friendships, making the speaker relatable. I particularly enjoyed this, as on a personal level I was able to relate to this, as a student at a school where teachers attempted to force unnatural relationships multiple times. Overall, this poem was an engaging poem, which, through language and poetic devices, clearly described the difference between real and fake friendships.

Friendship is something most people have experienced, but there is an uncertain path the two friends will follow into the building or demise of their relationship. Maintaining a good relationship is something that is very hard to do, as there is likely to be many mental obstacles to avoid. This element in friend relationships is shown all throughout the book, A Separate Peace, by John Knowles. One of the main messages that is relayed in the book is that friendship is a delicate element that requires care to maintain and that the competition and jealousy in the relationship can really impact the future friendship.

The first friendship that Aristotle mentions in NE VIII.3. is the friendship of utility. Aristotle’s initial claim about the friendship of utility is that “... those who love each other because of utility do not love each other for themselves but in the virtue of some good which they get from each other (NE VIII.3. 1156a.10-12)”. Here Aristotle is claiming

We are social creatures. We surround ourselves with other human beings, our friends. It is in our nature. We are constantly trying to broaden the circumference of our circle of friends. Aristotle understood the importance of friendship, books VIII and IX of the Nicomachean Ethics deal solely with this topic. A modern day definition of a friend can be defined as “one joined to another in intimacy and mutual benevolence independently of sexual or family love”. (Oxford English Dictionary). Aristotle’s view on friendship is much broader than this. His arguments are certainly not flawless. In this essay I will outline what Aristotle said about friendship in the Nichomachaen Ethics and highlight possible

In Bryce Courtenay’s the Power of One Peekay learns about the importance of friendship through many people such as Doc, Geel Piet, Hoppie and Granpa Chook. In chapter nine Peekay says “It had been a long day and a good one. The loneliness birds had flown away and I had grown up and made a new friend called Doc and had learned several new things” (Courtenay 148). In my opinion friendship is one of the most important things in life it helps shape people into who they are and who they will become.

Aristotle once said, “Friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies.” There are many things that go into the process of friendship. Some people deal with friendship one way while others deal with it in another way. Cicero had a lot to say about the different aspects of friendship in his time, but how would he view modern friendship? Some friendships Cicero may not be proud of; like the common relationships that are forced on in a classroom or work place and the lack of allowing nature to take control and make the friendships that are meant to happen. However, Cicero would be happy with the way the higher level friendships have developed in virtue

Aristotle highlighted the importance of friendship through various practices and concepts, such as utility and virtue. Virtuous practices were believed to enhance the friendship and encourage happiness among the participants (Kraut 64). Unfortunately, a friend whose behavior and practices are malevolent causes a rift in the practice of Aristotle’s principles. Therefore, to preserve the friendship and to protect one’s friend, one must do all that is possible to cease his or her friend’s actions.

“No one would choose a friendless existence on condition of having all the other things in the world (Aristotle).” Humans are social beings, social beyond any other creature in the world. Human interaction is a must for survival. It is in our nature. Aristotle understood this, he even had his own analysis of friendship. In the Nicomachean Ethics written by Aristotle, books VIII and IX are based off of friendship. Today, the definition of a friend is, “A person with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, typically one exclusive of sexual or family relations (Oxford Dictionary).” To Aristotle, friendship is much more than this. In this research paper, I will evaluate whether or not Aristotle’s analysis of friendship is applicable to the modern world.

The 5 basis set up in Aristotle’s Ethics are explained on page 252 and are as followed; “A person who wished for and does what is good or what appears to him to be good for his friends sake, a person who wished for the existence and life of his friend for a friends sake, a person who spends his time in our company, whose desires are the same as ours, and a person who shared sorrow and joy with his friend. An overall message of “one must do well for others in order to be a proper friend”1 can be understood with the five basis of friendship to determine if a person is an ideal friend.