Aristotle and the Philosophy of Friendship

This comprehensive account of the major philosophical works on friendship and its relationship to self-love emphasizes Aristotle's examination of friendship in the Nicomachean Ethics. Lorraine Pangle argues that the difficulties surrounding this discussion are dispelled as soon as one understands the purpose of the Ethics as both a source of practical guidance for life and a profound, theoretical investigation into human nature. The book provides interpretations of works on friendship by Plato, Cicero, Epicurus, Seneca, Montaigne and Bacon.