Greek Philosophy: Aristotle

.:.Prompt.:.[Greek Philosophy]: Aristotle [384 – 322 BCE] “Friendship,” Book VIII, from the Nicomachean
Ethics [350 BCE] (Course Pack)
 [Greek Philosophy]: Aristotle: “The Grounds of Friendship,”  Book IX from the Nicomachean Ethics [350 BCE] (Course Pack)
          BLOG: What three “kinds” of friendship does Aristotle identify? Choose a song (classical, rock, pop, etc.) that illustrates at least one kind of Aristotle’s friendship. Explain why it works. Include the lyrics. Use quotes from both the song lyrics and from Aristotle’s text to support your comparison. Imbed the song from Youtube, Grooveshark, or Naxos. Include a picture that seems to illustrate your point.

.:.Blog.:.

          The three types of friendship that Aristotle describes are: friendships of utility, friendships of pleasure and friendships of good. Friendships of utility are those kind of friendships where the purpose of being friends is only to obtain something, such as help on homework or money. Many friendships are this way without people actually knowing it. Friendships of pleasure are those where the people involved actually enjoy being with and around each other. It is often tied to friendships of utility thanks to the fact that one finds pleasure in what the other offers and visa versa. The friendships that are the least common are those that Tracy Lawrence mentions in his song "Find Out Who Your Friends Are." Aristotle says that friends of utility are solely based on lust and short-term feelings, "quickly becoming friends, and quickly ceasing to be so." When you "get stuck in a ditch way out in the middle of nowhere" and you ask for help, these friends won't come to your aid but instead would say: " 'What's in it for me?'  or 'It's way too far'." The types of friends that Lawrence says are those friends of good, where they have your back and will come to your help without thinking what's in it for them.

Run your car off the side of the road
Get stuck in a ditch way out in the middle of nowhere
Or get yourself in a bind, lose the shirt off your back
Need a floor, need a couch, need a bus fare
This is where the rubber meets the road
This is where the cream is gonna rise
This is what you really didn't know
This is where the truth don't lie
You find out who your friends are
Somebody's gonna drop everything
Run out and crank up their car
Hit the gas, get there fast
Never stop to think, 'What's in it for me?'
Or 'It's way too far'
They just show on up with their big ol' heart
You find out who your friends are
And everybody wants to slap your back, wants to shake your hand
When you're up on top of that mountain
But then one of those rocks give way then you slide back down
Look up and see who's around then
This ain't where the road comes to an end
This ain't where the band wagon stops
This is just one of those times when
A lotta folks jump off
You find out who your friends are