Friendships

Advice from more than 2000 years ago . . . how could that be relevant for today? When we live in a global village with digital communication, how could something so ancient still be a topic of discussion in the 21st century?

At the Asian Mensa Annual Gathering 2017 at the Gold Coast, one of the 90 minute sessions conducted with children, aged 7-14 years, was philosophy. Rebecca Napier and her colleague, Donna Smith, talked with the children about the three kinds of friendship that Aristotle described in his Nicomachean Ethics. Adapting the terminology to suit their audience, they discussed friendship in three categories:

Friends for fun
Friends for mutual benefit
True friends

Friendship is often based on shared activities or interests. Joining in the treasure hunt at lunch time was a lot of fun. Other examples of ‘friends for fun’ might include a play-date when young, or belonging to a chess club. ‘Friends for mutual benefit’ could include classmates working on a project together. In discussing ‘true friendship’, the children talked about being accepted for who they are and about wanting the best for each other.

Rebecca wrapped up the session by explaining that Aristotle considered that there were two ingredients required for friendship – curiosity and empathy. The children explained empathy as “standing in someone else’s shoes”; but the suggestion I liked that one little girl offered was “attached”. Personally, I found this level of discussion quite astounding. . . and exceptionally relevant.

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QUESTIONS ABOUT ARISTOTLE:

When and where was Aristotle born?
When did he die?
What does BC mean?
Where did Aristotle go to school?
What language did he speak?
How was school back then different from today?
Later, Aristotle set up his own school in Athens, called the Lyceum. Who was a well-known student of his?
Aristotle is famous for many things. Describe one area where his influence is still felt today.
What do Aristotle and Sherlock Holmes have in common?
What does the word, ‘aristotle’ mean?