The Role Of Friendship In Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics

One of the many subjects that Aristotle tackles in The Nicomachean Ethics is the concept and practice of friendship. Aristotle himself sets three requirements for friendship, as well as three separate categories for friendship, the categories being, utility based, pleasure based, and virtue based. While Aristotle does state that a virtue based friendship is the strongest, one could also put forth the argument that friendship only exists for the benefits of utility that come from friendship, leading to the true conclusion that friendship for the sake of friendship does not exist. The assumption of the argument is that no one would seek out friendship without desiring any of the benefits derived from friendship, including companionship, the pleasure
Desiring a person to confide in, a person to care about you, to love you, to support you, these are things associated with a friendship based on virtue. What if it’s not virtue? These are all desires that benefit us, it’s not about virtue or being a good person. The friendship isn’t based on virtue, it’s still about having a person who will do these things for us, these things which we all find useful, in essence, even these friendships which seem rooted in virtue, are surely based on utility. In the argument being made there is an assumption, one which would be remiss not to discuss. In saying that even friendships which appear virtuous are truly just utilitarian, the assumption is that no person is truly good. We live in a fallen, corrupt world, mankind is selfish; when it comes down to it, we all pursue what will benefit us. Even when it may appear that we’re making decisions that do not benefit us, on some level it is, even if that’s on an internal level such as making a decision to ease our conscious; the decision may not directly, physically benefit us, but we are benefitting our
We observed Aristotle’s rules of friendship and the distinctions he makes between the three categories of friendship presented in Book Eight of his The Nicomachean Ethics. After taking a closer look at how narrow these distinctions are, it is not a long bridge to cross to understand all friendships being based in utility. Especially with the understanding that good men, most likely do not exist, that in reality every person will inevitably follow the path that will benefit them. That even acts that appear virtuous, in reality benefit themselves on some level, even if it’s only what they “think” will benefit themselves. Also discussed was the objection then, that no long lasting, permanent friendships could ever exist. Moreover we saw that friendships built on this foundation can be permanent when one understands that the friendship is composed of two parties that mutually use each other for the purposes previously mentioned. Having addressed a main objection that can be raised to the argument, one can see that the conclusion that no one seeks friendship for the sake of friendship; but instead for the benefits, still stands