| Phi 110 Fall 2015 |
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The Greek term philia, which is usually translated by ‘friendship’, is, especially in Aristotle’s use, very broad, and you should definitely read Irwin’s glossary entry (p. 330). In particular, note that it applies to family members, fellow citizens, and even business associates. The range of topics concerning friendship that appear in his discussion is equally broad, and this assignment focuses on only a few of them.
• Chs. 1-3 of bk. viii are the heart of his discussion. They point to the most central sort of friendship according to Aristotle (which he distinguishes from two other kinds of friendship) and make it clear why a discussion of friendship appears in a book on ethics.
• Chs. 12-14 of bk. viii point to some of the variety of relations among people Aristotle treats as cases of friendship. The discussion of familial “friendship” in ch. 12 and the examples concerning it in ch. 14 will be our main focus, but you should also think about at least a few of the moral issues pointed to in ch. 13 and try to attach concrete examples to Aristotle’s somewhat abstract descriptions.
• Chs. 4 and 8 of bk. ix concern self-love (roughly the idea of being your own best friend) and Aristotle’s distinction between that and selfishness.
• Ch. 9 of bk. ix returns to a broader issue, the value of friendship. This discussion will be important for assessing what he will say about the best life in bk. x.