Platos Lysis with Aristotles Nicomachean Ethics - Essay Example

Comparison of Plato’s Lysis with Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics on Friendship Friendship is the union of two or more person in mutual affection, love, care and remembrance of each other. The notion of friendship is deeply imbedded inside Greek and ancient philosophy and from time to time different philosophers have explored the dynamics of friendship in different manner (Eterovich, p23). Plato’s Lysis and Aristotle Nicomachean Ethics are among the significant and popular pieces of classical philosophies that strive to explore and explain the conception of friendship in different manner (Cooper, p290). The essay aims to compare Plato’s Lysis with the Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics and discusses the concept of friendship described by these philosophers. The essay compares their views to find out how these philosophers differ in their analysis of friendship and which one has provided more meaningful analysis of friendship. Lysis is Plato’s dialogues discussing the nature of friendship whereas Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics also discusses the nature and concept of friendship and its importance in the lives of human beings. Plato and Aristotle are the Greek philosophers that have covered several important subjects in their writings. They contradict as well as support each others’ view point on certain matters however, the conception of friendship is perceived differently by these philosophers and they provide the understanding of the nature of friendship in distinctive manners (Annas, p532). The Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics has been regarded as Aristotle’s best work on friendship and ethics. It is the most important philosophical work that drew significant impacts upon the European middle age societies because the medieval philosophy was widely based upon the concepts presented in Nicomachean Ethics. The conception of friendship presented by Aristotle basically depicts his thinking about the nature of friendship and why people need friends in their lives (Crisp, p76). He believes that there is no person that would like to live a friend less life because being a social animal man always like situations and circumstances where he has a friend. Plato Lysis also talks about the importance of friendship but he has not much focused upon the importance and role of friendship in the lives of people from social and emotional perspective (Cooper, p290). The dynamics of friendship are also explored by Plato in one of his most engaging puzzling dialogues Lysis. These dialogues are rich mixtures of stable arguments, theories and literature in which Plato presented his views regarding friendship. Plato discusses the nature of friendship in these dialogues using the main characters of Socrates and two boys and friends Lysis and Menexunun. Another character of the dialogue was Hipplothales who had unrequited love with Lysis. In Lysis, Plato explained the conception of friendship in detail and depth and says that true friendship is based upon four basic conditions. At first, friendship could develop between the people that are similar and good man. Secondly, friendship occurs between dissimilar people. Thirdly, people who are neither good nor bad could also become friend and fourthly the relatives develop gradual friendship with each others because it is in the nature of the human beings to become friend of others (Annas, p532). The Lysis are often being regarded as philosophical failure because several arguments depicted in the dialogues are not convincing and due to these bad dialogues it has been regarded as a philosophical failure. It is found that Lysis fails to provide satisfying answers to certain important questions associated with the nature of the friendship. It is often been argues that Lysis actually didn’t answer the question that what friendship is. It shows dialogues between Socrates, Lysis and menexenus arguing about the friendship where Socrates asked Lysis and Menexunun that when a person loves another who is friend the lover or the loved one. They become engaged in the argument but failed to reach any solid conclusion due to which Plato’s Lysis is found lacking philosophical strength and depth (Eterovich, p23). in the dialogues Socrates talked with the boys about friendship between the similar and dissimilar I shall not ask which is the richer of the two, I said; for you are friends, are you not? Certainly, they replied. And friends have all things in common, so that one of you can be no richer than the other, if you say truly that you are friends (Plato, p51) Aristotle explains that there are some reasons due to which the people need friends in their lives. For instance, the rich people look for friends so that they could provide some benefits to them and their friends could protect their prosperity. The poor people need friends to have a helping hand. The old people need friend to care for them whereas the young people need friend to keep their lives in line. These friendship needs are other than the ones created by the nature like the parents, children and members of the same species are supposed to be natural friend of each other’s (Cooper, p290). Aristotle also believes that the companionship also lead towards friendship because when people have to spent some time in common work or social setting they make friends like fellow voyage, fellow learners, co workers etc. he explains in every community there seems to be some sort of justice, and some type of friendship also (1159a25-30). Plato’s Lysis on the other hand talks little about the need of friendship rather Lysis talk more about the ideas of friendship in complex manner proving unclear understating of the notion because the discourse of friendship between the similar and dissimilar was not came to any ending and throughout the dialogues the characters remain engage in the discussion without reaching to agreed point. According to the Nicomachean Ethics people could be friends only if they have good feelings and will for each other and they are aware of each others’ feelings and wished for them. Good friendship takes time to develop and there are few people true and virtuous enough that they develop friendship with others in little time. Aristotle believes that love of the good is an important aspect of friendship because two people become friend when they have common love of utility and pleasure. They also have to prove themselves useful and pleasant to each other in order to develop and maintain the friendship (Kraut, p98). He supports this thought with the evidence that the old and sour people have little friends as compared with the blessed, useful and happy people because the old and sour people are not useful for any one due to which they lose friends in their lives. It implies that good friendship is characterized by equal exchange that is achieved when people love each other and become caring for each other and achieve equality and justice in their relations (Eterovich, p23). Aristotle explains three different types of friendships including good, useful and pleasant. The pleasant and useful friendships are virtual whereas paradigm case o f friendship is the one that has good as its objects. This friendship is based on the character of the partners and not on the utility and pleasure (Crisp, p76). The utility based friendship is virtual because it may develop between business partners and resolve when the business dissolves. Pleasure based friendship might develop between people physically attractive for each other and when their initial thrill will wear off the friendship could also end (1157a710). Contrary to these, the friendship based upon the virtuous character tends to be more stable, complete and durable because it develops on the basis of love that each person feels in himself for who he is regardless of the utility and pleasure associated with their friendship. This friendship could also dissolve in case of any major change in the character of any partner however; it is the most sustainable type of friendship (Eterovich, p23). It is unveiled from the analysis of Plato’s Lysis and Aristotle Nicomachean Ethics that both Plato and Aristotle has deep insight over the concept of friendship and they know the importance of exploring different aspects of friendship through their writing and philosophy because they were well aware of its importance in the human life. However, it is also a fact that their views about the nature of friendship differ from each others because they view it from different standpoints and discuss it from different perspectives. The concept of friendship presented by Plato mostly revolved around the issue of friendship between the similar and dissimilar and there was no logical conclusion made at the end of the dialogues to satisfy the readers. However, Aristotle has presented more clear and convincing views about the nature of the friendship that are easy to understand and affirm. Aristotle speaks about friendship in clear manner where the use of dialogue in Plato Lysis has made it more complex and there is no logical ending provided to the readers in the end of the dialogues. On the basis of this analysis it could be said that Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics are more convincing and meaningful source of getting sight and understanding over the issue of friendship because in this work Aristotle has well presented and well discussed the concept and nature of friendship and it become more easy to understanding the nature of friendship and its different aspects though the reading of Nicomachean Ethics Work Cited Annas, Julia. "Plato and Aristotle on Friendship and Altruism, in Mind (1977) Vol. 86, pp. 532-554. Print. Cooper, John. "Friendship and the Good in Aristotle," in Philosophical Review (1977) Vol. 86, pp. 290-315. Print. Crisp, Roger. Aristotle: Nicomachean Ethics (Translation). Cambridge University Press. 2000. Print. Eterovich, Francis. Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics: Commentary and Analysis. Washington, D.C.: University Press of America, Inc., 1980. Print. Kraut, Richard. Aristotle on the Human Good. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1989. Print. Plato, Dialogues of Plato, Forgotten Books Read More