Monday, August 17, 2020

Comparing Aristotle and Aquinas on Friendship

Comparing Aristotle and Aquinas on Friendship

Final Essay: Exposition

Ancient and Medieval Philosophy 605

By: Jordan Phillips

Introduction

In this paper, I will explain the concept of friendship as it is developed in Books 8 and 9 of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. I will also compare it to Thomas’s application of these texts into Christian thought.[1] I will quote from the Summa Theologica, the Summa Contra Gentiles, the Commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics and the Commentary on the Gospel of John.[2],[3],[4],[5] I will briefly give the context for both thinkers works. I think this is important for putting their thought in perspective. Next, I will show how they define friendship, and why they think it is important. Then, I will discuss the different levels of friendship, and how the objectives of the individuals involved mark each type. Lastly, I will look at the characteristics of friendship. In this section, I will show how Saint Thomas advances from Aristotle’s thought in two areas: Divine Friendship and Marriage. I will also show how Saint Thomas builds off Aristotle’s principles of friendship to describe Christian charity.

Context of Authors Works

The goal of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics is to find how to make men happy. He says that he is looking for the goal for which all of our actions are conducted (particularly those actions that are done for their own sake).[6] The answer to this is happiness: “both the common people and the educated say [the highest good of human action] is happiness.”[7] Now, since what makes man special for Aristotle is his ability to reason, our happiness is going to have to do with reasoning well.[8] Another way to put this, is that man should be virtuous in order to be happy.[9] He goes on to describe virtue and to differentiate virtues. It is in this context that we see his discussion of friendship. He even says that friendship is a kind of virtue, because it requires frequent actions of goodwill, which become habits and eventually virtues.[10]

Friendship is a subject of moral philosophy or finding the happy life for 3 reasons.[11] First, everybody needs friends. Rich and poor, young and old, rulers and subjects, fortunate and unfortunate all need to have friends. When we are struggling, we need help, when we are doing well, friends can give us guidance for improvement, or fraternal correction to keep us on the straight and narrow. Secondly, friendships are built into nature because people have things in common. We come into the world with familial and societal relationships, and these only increase as we make decisions throughout our lives. These people that we are bound with are almost natural friends. Aristotle even makes the point that we have things in common with everybody. This is what all friendships can build from. Thirdly, friendship is necessary for civic society. When citizens get along well, society can do well; when citizens are in a state of unrest, society will be in unrest.

Saint Thomas Aquinas’s writings were meant mostly for academic audiences. They have different goals. His commentaries were essentially transcriptions of his classroom lectures.[12] His Summa Contra Gentiles was meant to train missionaries in evangelizing other religions, as is implied by the name of the work. His Summa Theologica was meant for Dominican Novices in training of Theology.[13] His application of Aristotle’s work of friendship is especially pertinent in his views of the Christian virtue of Charity, but is also brought out to discuss the sacrament of Marriage, and to describe salvation as will be seen towards the end of this essay.

Definitions

Now that we have put the author’s works in context, we will look at their definitions of friendship, and explore why they think it is important. Aristotle’s definition of friendship has 3 parts, all which follow from his argumentation throughout the chapter. Friendship involves “men wishing good to one another, that this fact is recognized by each, and that it be for the sake of one of the reasons previously mentioned.”[14] We will investigate all three parts of this definition.

The first of these aspects is that friendship involves men wishing good to one another. Thomas comments on this, “the good of a friend must be willed for his sake and not for the sake of the one loving.”[15] We can see immediately in Thomas’s interpretation of this, that he is applying it to charity. In his first article on Charity in the Summa, he brings out several parts of this very passage from Aristotle. As a matter of fact, he directly cites this section of the Ethics. He draws out at least three elements: Aristotle’s comparison to benevolence, his comparison to our affinity towards inanimate things, and the central idea of the definition: wishing good to another.[16] We can see from this that Thomas agrees with Aristotle’s notion of friendship as requiring goodwill towards the other.

The second element of the definition, that this goodwill be recognized by each, requires further explanation. Aristotle wants to make a distinction between beneficence and friendship. Both involve this good wishing towards the other. Beneficence, however, doesn’t require that the other knows about the good wishing. Friendship does require this. He says, “they cannot be called friends when unaware of one another’s feelings.”[17] For example, if I say a prayer for a person who is struggling, but they aren’t aware of my doing so, this is beneficence but not friendship. They have no way to take solidarity in my wishing well for them. That’s not to say that this action isn’t virtuous, it is. For Aristotle, it’s a separate virtue, but it isn’t friendship.

There is evidence that Aquinas doesn’t agree with this. First, he places beneficence in the virtue of charity in his Summa Theologica.[18] Secondly, in article 1, he draws off Aristotle’s notion of friendship to define beneficence.[19] This seems to point to Thomas wanting to include beneficence as part of friendship, and that the mutual knowledge of both parties is not essential to the definition.

However, if we move on in the same question to article three, he says that “we ought to be most beneficent towards those who are most closely connected with us.”[20] He goes on to list kinsmen, citizens, and those who follow the same religion as examples. Although Thomas doesn’t explicitly say this, I think one of the reasons he thinks beneficence applies to those who are closest to us, is at least partially because of the mutual knowledge of this goodwill. Especially in light of his statement in article 1, “neither does well wishing suffice for friendship, for a certain mutual love is requisite…this is founded on some kind of communication.”[21] So, I think Thomas can be interpreted as seeing this portion of Aristotle’s definition as essential to friendship as well.

The third aspect of Aristotle’s definition was “that it be for the sake of the reasons previously mentioned.” In his commentary on this definition, Saint Thomas interprets this to mean: “the good, the pleasurable or the useful.”[22] As we will see in the following section, these are the three types of friendship that are based on the objects we pursue in our relationships. This requires further explanation, as it is a key to understanding much of Aristotle’s thought on friendship.

Three Types of Friendship

Since there are three different kinds of things we look for in our friendships, Aristotle posits that there must be three kinds of friendship.[23] The three things we look for in relationships are utility (usefulness), pleasure and goodness (virtue). Friendships of utility are those where “one does not love the other for the other’s sake but only for the good they mutually gain.”[24] In the same passage, he describes friendship of pleasure as “those who love for the sake of pleasantness love for the pleasure they enjoy.” In contrast, friendship of virtue, or perfect friendship, are those “who wish good to friends for their sake…they do this for the friends themselves and not for something incidental.”[25] Let’s look at each of these types in greater detail.

I like to use an example for friendship of utility. This type of friendship is like my relationship with a waiter at a restaurant. If I am nice to this person, they are more likely to be more careful and do a better job serving me. If I am a jerk to this person, I am less likely to get refills when I want them. So, it is in my best interest to be nice to this person. We can see here that ultimately, I am acting in my own best interest, and not the interest of the waiter. This is what we see in friendships of utility. Both parties are seeking some good to be received from the relationship.

These relationships are not very deep and are easily dissolvable. If this waiter messes up my order or doesn’t refill my drinks as often as I like, I may tip them less, causing further strain on the relationship. This example shows what Aristotle means by saying, “If the reason for the friendship no longer exists, the friendship itself is dissolved.”[26]

The same is true of the next level of friendship, friendship of pleasure.[27] These are easily dissolvable for a similar reason. In this type of friendship, both parties are seeking pleasure from the relationship. Aristotle uses the example of young people. Young people, Aristotle thinks, “foster friendship mostly for pleasure.” Because of this, their friendships dissolve as frequently as their pleasures change: “they fall in and out of love the same day.” As a High School teacher, I see this all the time. Students who are in and out of different relationships and friend groups as their interests change. For example, during the fall, football players tend to spend a lot of time with fellow football players. When this sport ends, and they start basketball season, their friend group changes to fit their new interest.

It is easy at this point to look down on these types of friendship. After all, they are self-seeking. However, we need these friendships, and they exist in nature for a reason. We are creatures of need, so it’s not intrinsically wrong to build friendships out of need. We also need a certain amount of pleasure. Aquinas thinks that just as the body needs rest from physical labor, so does the soul need rest. “This relaxation of the mind from work consists in playful words and deeds. It becomes a wise and virtuous man to have recourse to such things at times.”[28] These friendships are good, even if they aren’t the fulness of friendship.

Let’s turn to what both thinkers consider the best friendship. Aristotle says, “perfect friendship is friendship between men who are good and resemble one another according to virtue.”[29] The difference between the kinds of friendship, as we have said, lies in the objective of the friendship. If we are looking for something, this is a friendship of utility. If we are looking for pleasure, it is a friendship of pleasure. The objective for perfect friendship is the others good. It isn’t about what the individual is getting out of it. “People who wish good to friends for their sake are the truest friends; they do this for the friends themselves and not for something incidental.”[30] Where the other two friendships were fickle, this one is strong. “Friendships between such men remain as long as they are virtuous; and virtue is a permanent habit.”[31]

There are a couple more attributes to this type of friendship that Aristotle wants us to be aware of.[32]  First, he argues that this type of friendship is most intense, because it is ordered towards a good life, which is our highest good. Secondly, he wants us to be aware that these friendships are very rare, because virtuous men are rare. Another reason for the rarity of these types of friendships, is that they require a lot of time. We all know that to develop trust, a lot of time together is required. Aristotle cites a proverb that makes his point: “people do not know one another until they eat [a peck of[33]] salt together.”[34] A peck being a substantial amount, implying a substantial amount of meals eaten together.

As we will see in the next section, Aquinas is mostly interested in this type of friendship. He doesn’t think that the first two even qualify as friendships. He says, “friendships of this sort [utility and pleasure] plainly are not friendships essentially but incidentally, because a person is not loved for what he is but for utility or pleasure.”[35] In his Summa Theologica[36] he says, “If we do not wish good to what we love but wish it for ourselves, it is love not of friendship, but a kind of concupiscence.” He adds that we love all sorts of inanimate things in this way, like “wine” and “horses,” but we would think it absurd to refer to these things as friends. In the same way, then, we should not consider friendships of pleasure or utility friends in the true sense.

Characteristics of Friendship

The last section of this essay will look at a couple of the characteristics of friendship from the perspective of Aristotle. In looking at the works of Saint Thomas Aquinas we will view the areas where he takes Aristotle’s perspective and relates it into Christian philosophy. The first Aristotelian characteristic of friendship is the notion of equality. As we will see, for Aristotle, friendship requires being able to give and receive in some kind of proportion. Given his view of the world, this eliminates the possibility of friendship with God. Saint Thomas has a robust understanding of how we can be friends of God and of the person of Jesus. This view of equality of proportion also has implications for the sacrament of marriage. The other characteristic of Aristotle’s thought that we will look at is how the friend is another self. Aquinas expands on this teaching in his view of Christian charity.

As stated, we will start with the idea of equality as a prerequisite to friendship. Aristotle starts by saying that this should be seen outside of the purview of the three kinds of friendship because they have different “motives for loving.”[37] They can, however, be classed together because they all involve unequal positions of the lovers. He gives the example of Fathers and Mothers, Sons and Fathers, and Rulers and Subjects. These examples, he posits, cannot give each other an equal return. A son can never give his father due love for bringing him into being. However, he does think that when children are just to their parents, a long lasting and deep friendship can be had.[38] Given that this is an example made for the whole class, we can take this principle to apply to the whole class. Namely, that although perfect proportion cannot be had in these relationships, if the individuals act justly, a friendship of virtue can be attained.

This is an important takeaway regarding marriage. You will hear many commentators on this subject say that Aristotle and Aquinas differ in that the former thought that virtuous friendship between the spouses was impossible because of the inequality of the sexes, and that Thomas corrected this teaching.[39] When we look at what Aristotle is saying, this isn’t quite right. He does include the possibility of virtuous friendship. It isn’t surprising that he doesn’t make this point clearer than he does elsewhere, because virtuous friendship is rare in all cases.[40]

Aristotle does think that the marriage relationship has clear motives for friendship of utility and pleasure. For utility, he teaches that people “are more included by nature to conjugal [friendship] than political society.”[41] The family is prior to the state for Aristotle. The reason for marriage though, is that everybody in the family has material needs, including children. And by nature, men and women are equipped to fulfill these roles according to their sexes.[42] There is clearly an element of utility in marriage. Aristotle also thinks that there is an element of pleasure. Aquinas cites the “generative act” as a source of pleasure within marriage.[43] We could add deep conversation and recreation as other sources of pleasure.

However, Aristotle doesn’t stop here. Just as we said above, friendships of virtue are possible in unequal relationships, so long as there is a just giving of oneself to the other. This friendship “can exist for the sake of virtue if the husband and wife are virtuous, for each has his proper virtue and they can delight in it.”[44] Now while Thomas doesn’t correct Aristotle’s teaching in this regard as many commentators claim he does, I think that he does strengthen his argument.

Thomas says, “the greater the friendship is, the more solid and long-lasting will it be. Now, there seems to be the greatest friendship between husband and wife, for they are united not only in the act of fleshly union…but also in the partnership of the whole range of domestic activity.”[45] Thomas here has taken two key principles of Aristotle’s to strengthen Aristotle’s own position. First, that the long-lasting friendships, are likely friendships of virtue. Marriage is a long-lasting friendship. Therefore, marriage is a friendship of virtue. Secondly, Aristotle thinks that a common life is the basis of friendship.[46] The more areas of life that are shared, the more likely this is a friendship of virtue. Saint Thomas is saying here, husband and wife share their whole life together domestically. And so, Aquinas uses Aristotle’s principles to strengthen his own position, not to supersede it.

There is an area where Saint Thomas clearly does go beyond Aristotle in this regard though. Again, for friendships of people that are on unequal footing, Aristotle thinks that friendships are complicated. If there is too great a distance between the two subjects, friendship seems impossible to Aristotle. This is true of Kings and those in “humbler walks of life.”[47] However, it is most true in the case of men with God.[48]

Saint Thomas, having revelation, can go beyond this. Thomas thinks that because of the incarnation, we are able to be brought into friendship with God.[49] This friendship is not something that we merit on our own, but is a gift of grace.[50] And this love of God needs to be extended to our neighbor, that they too may become friends of God.[51]

Thomas also thinks that this friendship can be extended to friendship with the person of Christ. One way is with Christ’s presence in the Eucharist. He takes Aristotle’s principle that friends need to live a life in common,[52] to show that it is necessary for Christ to be present in the Eucharist for us to have friendship with him.[53] In the same way that friends who eat much salt together, can build a deep friendship; those who partake of the sacred meal of Christ’s body and blood, can enter into deep friendship with Jesus. The Eucharist gives us the very life of Jesus, and so in an ultimate way, we live a life in common with him. Thomas thinks another way that we can have friendship with Christ if we follow Christ’s commands with filial fear (as opposed to servile fear).[54]

This is the major separation of Aquinas from Aristotle on this issue of friendship. Aquinas thinking that friendship with God is possible, is something that goes beyond what Aristotle could envision through philosophy. This is not surprising though. Since, it is only because God has revealed himself to us, and became man, that this friendship is possible. It isn’t that Thomas thinks that we earn friendship with God. It is solely because of God’s action through Grace and the incarnation that this friendship is possible.

Another place where Saint Thomas goes beyond the thought of Aristotle, because of his access to revelation, is the virtue of Charity. Aristotle doesn’t have a virtue of Charity. He does lay a foundation for Thomas to understand Charity in a deeper way though. Aristotle thinks that by living “according to reason”[55] as opposed to passion, man loves himself rightly. Aquinas agrees with this, and says unfortunately though, “Most men are such that they follow sense rather than reason.”[56] However, in either case people do what they perceive to be in their best interests. It’s just that some act virtuously, in accord with reason; others act viciously or incontinently because they follow their passions.

But, because Thomas believes that we are called to “love your neighbor as yourself,”[57] he thinks we can be friends of God by loving our neighbor. He interprets this passage: “by the fact that you love yourself, you love yourself in which you will good to yourself….so also you should choose the good of righteousness for your neighbor.[58] Just like how we naturally do what we can to help ourselves, we should do this for our neighbor. This is charity, and this unites us to God. Just as in with the natural virtues, we can improve on this virtue of charity by doing acts of charity, which develop into habits, and the virtue itself. The difference is that this virtue is infused in us by God,[59] where the others can come about through repetition. Saint Thomas has taken Aristotle’s principle of rightly ordered self-love, and shown how in the light of the Gospel, it can give us an image of what it means to live charitably.

Conclusion

            Aristotle shows a hierarchy of friendship that progresses from usefulness to pleasure to virtue. His robust teaching on the characteristics of friendship fit into his teaching about living a happy life. Saint Thomas builds on this teaching because of his access to revelation. He makes stronger Aristotle’s perspective on marriage. He describes the possibility of friendship with God through Charity. Thomas has taken Aristotle’s hierarchy and added a level of friendship with God which we should all strive to obtain for ourselves, by cooperating with his Grace.

 



[1] Aristotle. Nicomachean Ethics in Introductory Readings in Ancient Greek and Roman Philosophy. Ed. C.D.C. Reeve Patrick Lee Miller, Trans. Reeve. Indianapolis, IN: Hackett, 2015. Print.

[2] Aquinas, Thomas. Summa Theologica, Trans. Fathers of the English Dominican Province. Notre Dame, IN: Christian Classics, 1981. Print.

[3] Aquinas, Thomas. Summa Contra Gentiles, Trans. Vernon J. Bourke. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 1975. Print. 

[4] Aristotle and Aquinas, Thomas. Commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, Trans. C.J. Litzinger, O.P. Notre Dame, IN: Dumb Ox Books, 1964. Print.

[5] Aquinas, Thomas. Commentary on the Gospel of John. Ed. The Aquinas Institute, Trans. Fr. Fabian R. Larcher, OP. Lander, Wy: The Aquinas Institute for the Study of Sacred Scripture, 2013.

[6] Aristotle. Commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. Book 1, Lecture 2, 1-2. Trans. Litzinger. 7.

[7] Aristotle. Commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. Book 1, Lecture 4, 1-2, see also Book 1, Lecture 9. Trans. Litzinger. 35.

[8] Aristotle. Commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. Book 1, Lecture 10, 6. Trans. Litzinger. 40.

[9] Aristotle. Commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. Book 1, Lecture 14, 3-4, 9-10. Trans. Litzinger. 55.

[10] Aristotle. Commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. Book 8, Lecture 5, 1. Trans. Litzinger. 491.

[11] Aristotle. Commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. Book 8, Lecture 1, 2-4. Trans. Litzinger. 475.

[12] 105. How should we understand morality? With Fr. Dominic Legge. Narr. Matt Fradd. Pints with Aquinas. 8 May 2018. Web. 4 July 2020.

[13] ST. Prologue. Trans. Fathers. xix.

[14] Aristotle. Commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. Book 8, Lecture 2, 9. Trans. Litzinger. 479.

[15] Aquinas, Thomas. Commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. 1558. Trans. Litzinger. 480-481. Emphasis mine.

[16] ST II-II, 23, a 1. Trans. Fathers.

[17] Aristotle. Commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. Book 8, Lecture 2, 8, see also Book 9, chapter 7. Trans. Litzinger. 479.

[18] ST II-II, 31. Trans. Fathers.

[19] ST II-II, 31, a 1. Trans. Fathers.

[20] ST II-II, 31, a 3. Trans. Fathers.

[21] ST II-II, 31, a 1. Trans. Fathers.

[22] Aquinas, Thomas. Commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. 1561. Trans. Litzinger. 481.

[23] Aristotle. Commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. Book 8, Lecture 3, 1. Trans. Litzinger. 482.

[24] Aristotle. Commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. Book 8, Lecture 3, 2. Trans. Litzinger. 482.

[25] Aristotle. Commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. Book 8, Lecture 3, 10-13. Trans. Litzinger. 482.

[26] Aristotle. Commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. Book 8, Lecture 3, 3. Trans. Litzinger. 482.

[27] Aristotle. Commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. Book 8, Lecture 3, 7-9. Trans. Litzinger. 482.

[28] ST II-II, 168, a 2. Trans. Fathers.

[29] Aristotle. Commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. Book 8, Lecture 3, 10. Trans. Litzinger. 482.

[30] Aristotle. Commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. Book 8, Lecture 3, 12. Trans. Litzinger. 482.

[31] Aristotle. Commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. Book 8, Lecture 3, 13. Trans. Litzinger. 482.

[32] Aristotle. Commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. Book 8, Lecture 3, 16-17. Trans. Litzinger. 483.

[33] Aquinas, Thomas. Commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. 1582. Trans. Litzinger. 487.

[34] Aristotle. Commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. Book 8, Lecture 3, 18. Trans. Litzinger. 483.

[35] Aquinas, Thomas. Commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. 1566. Trans. Litzinger. 484.

[36] ST II-II, 23, a. 1. Trans. Fathers.

[37] Aristotle. Commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. Book 8, Lecture 7, 2,4. Trans. Litzinger. 499.

[38] Aristotle. Commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. Book 8, Lecture 7, 5. Trans. Litzinger. 499.

[39] 63: Aristotle’s 3 Types of Friendship, with Emily Barry. Narr. Matt Fradd. Pints with Aquinas. 3 July 2017. Web. 4 July 2020.

[40] Aristotle. Commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. Book 8, Lecture 6, 2-4. Trans. Litzinger. 494.

[41] Aristotle. Commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. Book 8, Lecture 12, 18. Trans. Litzinger. 520.

[42] Aristotle. Commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. Book 8, Lecture 12, 19. Trans. Litzinger. 520.

[43] Aquinas, Thomas. Commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. 1723. Trans. Litzinger. 524.

[44] Aristotle. Commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. Book 8, Lecture 12, 20. Trans. Litzinger. 520.

[45] SCG 3:II, 123, 6. Trans. Bourke. 148

[46] Aristotle. Commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. Book 8, Lecture 5, 5. Trans. Litzinger. 491.

[47] Aristotle. Commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. Book 8, Lecture 7, 9. Trans. Litzinger. 499.

[48] Aristotle. Commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. Book 8, Lecture 7, 10. Trans. Litzinger. 499.

[49] ST II-II. 23. 1. Trans. Fathers.

[50] ST II-II. 24. 2. Trans. Fathers.

[51] ST II-II. 25. 1. Trans. Fathers.

[52] Aristotle. Commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. Book 9, Lecture 14, 6. Trans. Litzinger. 586.

[53] ST III. 75. 1. Trans. Fathers.

[54] Aquinas, Thomas. Commentary on the Gospel of John Chapters 9-21. 2011, 2015. Trans. Larcher. 291, 292-293.

[55] Aristotle. Commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. Book 9, Lecture 9, 8. Trans. Litzinger. 566.

[56] Aquinas, Thomas. Commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. 1864. Trans. Litzinger. 565.

[57] Matthew 22:39. RSV.

[58] Aquinas, Thomas. Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew Chapters 13-28. 1819. Trans. Larcher. 253-254.

[59] ST II-II. 24. 2. Trans. Fathers.


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