Aristotle’s 3 Types of Friendship

Most Americans believe friendship is important to their happiness. Let’s look at how Aristotle described a good friendship.

A marble bust of Aristotle copied by a Roman after a Greek version by Lysippos in 330 B.C. PD-US

In 2011, the United Nations General Assembly designated July 30 as the “International Day of Friendship,” affirming that through friendship “we can contribute to the fundamental shifts that are urgently needed to achieve lasting stability, weave a safety net that will protect us all, and generate passion for a better world where all are united for the greater good.” But why does friendship unite us? Why is it essential to the greater good?

These questions moved many thinkers throughout history. Chief among them is the Greek philosopher Aristotle, whose “Nicomachean Ethics” offers a lucid discussion of friendship’s complex nature and transformative power.

The ‘Nicomachean Ethics’

Ancient Greeks believed the greatest happiness was impossible without friendship. Aristotle’s teacher and predecessor, Plato, wrote dozens of dialogues where his loquacious mentor, Socrates, guided a wide range of interlocutors through difficult conversations. Sometimes Socrates irritated them, and sometimes he flattered them with undue compliments. But he always engaged them honestly, to discover truth together. He treated them all as friends.