Aristotle's Virtues

Aristotle is one of the most well known Greek philosophers who laid most of the groundwork for western philosophy along with Socrates and Plato. He was born in Stagira, Greece around 384 BC. He shared his work throughout his entire life in Athens and at the school he opened called The Lyceum. Aristotle is also known to have tutored Alexander the Great. His work varied from topics such as biology, logic and mainly ethics. Aristotle died in 322 BC but his legacy carries on because of the relevance his works still holds today. Although his work was written over 2,000 years ago, it continues to provide significant insight to human behavior and ethics. Aristotle based a lot of his work on the virtue of character. A virtue is defined as a behavior …show more content…
Friendship can be defined as a bond between two people with mutual affection. Aristotle explains that friendship is indispensable to life. “For without friends no one would choose to live, even though he possessed every other good” (Lucas 199). He further goes on to discuss that, friends are there to help us and as you grow older, they are there to take care of you, friends are there to provide generosity, safety and security to your life. When you are young. It is clear by reading Aristotle’s work that he thinks very highly of friendship. He even says “a friend is the same thing as to be a good man.” I believe that the type of friend you are really reflects on what kind of person you are. If you are the type of friend to drop everything to help someone in need, then I believe that also makes you a good person. I believe that friendship should be reciprocated and not just one person consistently relying on the other for help and other things. Throughout our lives we need friendship, whether it is as a child or as an elderly person, friendship allows us to enjoy life …show more content…
The first is friendship based on utility and this is where both people benefit from each other. The second is based on pleasure and this is where both people are drawn to each other’s good qualities. Lastly, is friendship based on goodness and this is where both people admire the other’s goodness and strive for goodness. In my opinion, the last example of friendship is the most important and holds the most value. According to Aristotle, goodness is an enduring quality and friendships based on this tend to last. I think that a friendship that brings out the best in you is the greatest kind to have because it makes you a better person. I believe that the bonds created between people in the military are the strongest type of friendship and this helps to better our military. True friends are always looking out for each other and if you mix that with the bond shared between military members then you will have an even stronger