Week 7: Aristotle and Ethics
Aristotle believes that human beings should strive for virtue in order to achieve eudaimonia, or “human flourishing.” He also believes that the best friendships are based on virtue, meaning both people admire the good character of the other. Do you agree?
Is it possible to be a truly good friend to someone if that person behaves badly or has poor character? Should friendship include loyalty even when a friend is doing something wrong? What would Aristotle say a virtuous person should do when a friend behaves contrary to virtue?
Feel free to use examples from your own life. I’m sure we’ve all had friendships where we’ve struggled to know how to be a “good friend.”
Example 1
Friendship means more than spending time together. I think a good friendship should help both people become better. The idea that people should try to live with virtue makes sense to me. People who show honest and kind and fair behavior become easier to trust. Friends who honor each other’s virtuous qualities create a strong friendship bond. However, real life is not always perfect. A friend sometimes shows inappropriate behavior. I have seen this happen in school when someone lies or treats others unfairly. The situation becomes difficult because the right course of action remains uncertain. Good friendship requires you to support your friend while you tell them to stop acting wrongly. A good friend needs to speak their mind while helping others return to their correct path according to my belief. The main priority should be helping a friend grow their loyalty according to my perspective.
Example 2
I agree with Aristotle in a way, that true friendship is when while you and your friend have differences you both exhibit traits which show off your good character to one another that you both enjoy the company of. No one would want to be friends with someone who they are truly the exact opposite of, not just in one way but in everything. Nor would one want to be friends with someone of bad character, someone who does not do what you as their friend believes is right. Though I will say I have seen cases when even if someone does act terribly or evil they still do have friends but maybe those friends see evil as virtue. For me personally I cannot see myself being a good friend nor have I to someone who behaves badly and or has poor character, if someone is mean to others for no reason, rude, etc it is much harder to want to be their friend or to be a “true friend” to them as Aristotle said. Friendship should not include loyalty when your friend is doing something wrong, it is more virtuous and truly loyal to tell them they are acting wrong and to correct their behavior without being to harsh. I believe that Aristotle would agree with this and say something much like his quote of “We must honor truth above our friends” as a true friend will tell you when you’re wrong and messing up, because they care about you and your usual good character.
Example 3
Friendship becomes challenging when one friend treats another friend poorly. Aristotle explains that genuine friendship exists between people who share virtuous qualities. I faced difficulties in deciding how to react to my friend’s constant untruths. My desire for loyalty conflicted with my need to guide him toward proper behavior. People demonstrate their friendship through active support which helps their friend develop better character. Aristotle would teach that virtuous people should treat others with kindness while showing their friends the path toward better decisions. The process requires people to engage in challenging discussions. I attempted to help my friend through his problems while showing him the negative effects of his actions because I wanted him to learn how to take responsibility. True friendship exists between two people who remain loyal to each other while providing moral advice to one another.
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