Friendship

Abstract

Friendship is ordinarily understood as a close interpersonal relationship based on feelings of mutual affection, care, concern, or respect. It tends to be associated with such values as loyalty, trust, honesty, sincerity, openness, good will, intimacy, and a desire to benefit the other for the other's sake. It is generally thought to be a chosen relationship, requiring a mutual recognition of the appropriate feelings, and consequently it is distinguishable from merely friendly actions in which persons do things together or for one another. Like the notion of love, friendship has inspired soaring, diverse, and sometimes conflicting ideals. As a brief sample of such accounts we can begin with Aristotle, for whom friendship emerges out of our nature as social beings and is most fully expressed between virtuous individuals. The first half of this entry focuses on philosophical issues raised by the concept of friendship and then it turns to various connections drawn between friendship and politics.