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Types of friends
- 1. Utility
- 2. Pleasure
- 3. Perfect
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Utility
- uses the other person (both must benefit, reciprocal)
- ie friend with truck to help move
- ie people you work with can switch schedules with you
These friendships don't last long!
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Pleasure
- common interest you get pleasure from
- ie hobby/music
these friendships don't last long because interests change (usually young people friends)
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Perfect
- based on virtue or goodness
- ie Socrates and people who followed him. Follow him b/c of virtue (and vice versa)
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Why does it take so long for perfect friendships to develop?
- A. It takes time to determine whether or not friends have those virtues
- B. Need to eat salt together (go through difficult situations to reveal those things)
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Why does the benefactor love who he helps more than those he help love the benefactor?
- Happiness is an activity of the soul
- Benefactor is being active, receiver is being passive
- ie poet = benefactor.
- audience = being helped
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What is the nature of true self love
- Bad self love - basic selfishness
- ie fulfill appetite, desires
True self love = develop virtues
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Why does a virtuous man need [perfect] friends?
- 1. We're social creatures (so kinda fulfill our nature)
- **2. Activity is always better than activity (activity is a form of contemplation)
- 3. Having virtuous friends can help improve you
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Activity of contemplation (why we need perfect friends)
- contemplate virtues
- It's pleasing to contemplate virtues, even more so to contemplate YOUR virtues.
- If they are a perfect friend and they have x virtue, you have that virtue to because they're friends with you!
- This is so pleasing, they're your mirror!
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Perfect friends
allow you to be happy by reflecting your virtues which you can then contemplate
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