Aristotle Book VIII Handout

According to Aristotle, friendship is closely related to justice. Why?

they require the same type of conduct Everything political community is supposed to involve justice and friendship the secondary friendship ( utility/pleasure) respond to our political relationship

According to Aristotle, friendship is more important than justice. Why?

friendship holds communities together and what lawmakers try to achieve Between true friends there is no need for justice , but just people still need friendship

What features of friendship did we discuss?

it implies virtue (because it is justice in the fullest sense) because no one would choose to live without friends even if he/she had all other things It is most necessary for living because in both poverty and wealth one need friends

Aristotle believes that friendship, like virtue, is a disposition. Why?

It is a state of being even when friends can’t express the friendship (eg in sleep) they are still friends

What are the ways we can like/love another person ?

they are useful to us They are pleasurable (we enjoy their company) We like/love them bc they are good in themselves

what are the three corresponding kinds of friendship? Be able to describe them like we did in class and provide an example of each.

friendship based on utility (usefulness). Secondary form of friendship, takes pleasure in the other company only if they are useful to one another ex you have tools and I have a carpenter skills our relationship is mutually advantageous Friendship based on pleasure (secondary form of friendship) each want the other company only if they receive pleasure ex erotic friendship friendship solely based humor Friendship based on goodness ( perfect/ true friendship) want the other company because the other is good each want goodness for the other ex two people love each other for who they are and want what is good for the other

When examining Aristotle’s account of friendships based on goodness, we considered five requirements. What were they?

both must be good and desire good for the other They must be equals Love each other for what they are, not on incidentally quality They are useful and pleasurable to each other( but these are not the sole basis of the friendship) The most permanent (remain as long as both parties are equal)

What limitations of friendships based on goodness did we discuss?

one cannot have many of these friends One must want good for one friend but not all possible good (to be god like)

For Aristotle which type(s) of friendship correspond to our political relationships? What might this say about his notion of politics?

The political state will not be perfectly just bc it is not based on a friendship of goodness

What kind of political regimes are there for Aristotle? What are the corruptions of those regimes? How did Aristotle rank them?

Monarchy (rule of one) aristocracy (rule of a small privileged class) timocracy(rule of those who own property)

We considered how we could make an argument for democracy using some of Aristotle’s claims. Be able to explain that argument.

a corrupt person does not care about justice (only consider his/her own good) We can’t guarantee a ruler will care about justice To avoid the worst form of government (a tyranny ) set up society so every member has some authority The even if the citizen only care about themselves that may realize actions fairly is in the best interest #