...explain the nature of friendship. How does the nature of friendship affect our moral obligations? Friendship involves a relationship between two beings pertaining to the elements of freedom, choice and love; “an association of two persons through equal and mutual love and respect” (Kant 1965, p. 469). Friendships offer support, affection, companionship and a sense of connection with another being. Aristotle and Kant hold similar views on friendship and recognise that the notion plays a central role in a meaningful and happy life, and also has a profound effect on our moral obligations. As individuals, we experience three main types of companionship, namely the friendship of utility or need, the friendship of pleasure or taste and the friendship of good or disposition. These three categories signify that we love or like our friends on the basis of three varying motivations. Furthermore, these encounters impact upon our psyche and belief systems to various degrees, changing us as humans and augmenting our views and morals. The friendship of utility or the friendship of need states that each person does not love each other for their personal qualities, but rather that they derive some benefit from one another. “This friendship comes about when men can trust one another in the mutual provision for the needs of life. It was the original form of friendship amongst men, and is encountered mostly in the crudest social conditions” (Grunebaum 2003, p.71). Friendship of need or utility...
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...Chapter I The Problem and Review of Related Literature Introduction Man is a rational being who feels emotions. Our emotions make up a part if not most of our humanity. It can be also called passions like how it was used in antiquity. One of these emotions is love. To feel love and to reciprocate it is proper to rational beings such as the human person. But the term “love” has taken quite different meanings around the globe, a lot of persons even have their own notion of love. It is the one of the most elusive and abused term of mankind. It eludes definition for the reason that one really cannot exhaust love in one specific definition. As Benedict XVI said (2006, p. 7) “In our present context, the term “love” has become one of the most frequently used and misused of words, a word where we attach quite different meanings.” We human persons are capable of expressing and accepting love, since we are endowed with intellect and will aside from our passions. These faculties make it possible for a human to feel being loved and to love back in return. The faculty intellect is the one that perceives and comprehends love, where we can interpret it, while the faculty of the will is the one that is responsible for conveying and reciprocating love. Our acts as human beings such as loving are very much different from those of the animals’. This is because human acts require the use of both the intellect and the will. It requires knowing and willing a particular act, making...
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...Throughout history friendship is revered, often being romanticised and is a relatively new area of sociological study. Research has transferred the focus from personal interactions and the psychology of friendships to the social structures that influence and underpin them. This shift in sociological view of friendship is a reflection of the growing interest of mixed methodologies in research. What the social structures are that bind friendship in terms of manners agreed between the perpetrators of the friendship, so the rituals and routines become particular to those people in their understanding of the relationship. The understanding of the influence of class and gender on friendships is in the influence on the opportunities for meeting people and making friends. Everyday micro-level interactions are contained by structural parameters. Although the friendship exists within social structures, the friendship itself has to defy social hierarchy in order to maintain itself, as sustenance requires an element of equality between bearers....
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...Friendship: Paper Assignment Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to develop a deeper understanding about the nature of friendship, to explore the role communication plays in the creation and maintenance of friendships, and to reflect on a current friendship. Assignment Length: You will write a page paper (1 inch margin, 12 pt New Times Roman). These pages do NOT include title page and reference page. For citations and paper format, use APA style. Due Date: November 19, 2010 Paper Overview: Your paper will have four main parts. Part 1: Provide an introduction including a definition and some background to the topic of friendship. You need to do research here. Find books, textbooks, and articles that provide credible information on friendships. Questions that may guide your inquiry: What is friendship? Why do we have friends? What counts as a good friend in our culture? 1- 1 ½ pages. Part 2: Communication and friendship: Describe the role of communication in friendships. Questions that may guide you could be: How do we make friends? How do we maintain friendships? What communication fosters good friendships? What communication could lead friendships to break? 1 – 1 ½ pages. Part 3: Choose one type of friendship: male same-sex friendship, female same-sex friendship or cross-sex friendship. Choose one research article on communication in this particular type of friendship from the list. Read it carefully and thoroughly. Summarize the findings. What did the scholar find...
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...focuses on the different types of friendship, how the friendships form, and how long they last depending on the reasons for the friendship. This paper will focus on the types of friendship as advanced by Aristotle, illustrate what he meant by saying friendship based on virtue and my views towards this subject. Aristotle differentiates between three types of friendship. First, he singles out mutual, recognized love among people with respect for one another. Their friendship is for mutual benefit. They love each other for the good they get from each other. These kinds of friends wish each other well in respect of the love they have for one another. The second class of friends according to Aristotle is those who love for pleasure. They do not get into friendship because they admire each other’s character but because they derive pleasure from one another. In this type of friendship, one looks at the pleasure that is derivable from the friend. The friendship continues as long as there is pleasure derived. For this reason, this type of friendship is only incidental. The friendship dissolves away easily in case one friend ceases to get the pleasure previously derived or if one of the friends changes in character. If one party ceases to be pleasant and useful, the other party withdraws from the friendship. Aristotle argues that the old follow the usefulness of a friendship while the young follow the hopes of deriving pleasure from the friendship. Aristotle uses his claim of youths...
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...Friendships Friendship Life is so short that we need someone to share our thoughts and feelings. Definitely, a thought would arise in our mind asking who it could be whom we can trust so closely. Answer might be who someone closes to you, but who? Parents, brother, sister…..! Apparently, it hardly comes to anyone’s mind a “true friend”. You are no nearer to true friendship than if you choose them for commercial reason. Besides who are you that you should be setting a price upon your friendship? It is enough for any man that he has the divine power of making friends, and he must leave it to that power of making friends. In this essay I will try to give my points of view toward friendship. Friends are essential in our life just as food is essential for living. Moreover, it is essential to determine their friendship as we analyze the contents of the food before we eat. Friends and their friendship play a great role in everyone’s life. It is a gift that we offer because we must; to give it as the reward of virtue would be to set a price upon it, and those who do that have no friendship to give. We would meet a lot of people in our life, from those we choose friends and among those, we make our best friend. What is best friend then; regardless we wouldn’t know how the friendship is going to be? From my point of view friends are those who help you in every step of life. Famous writer John Haren wrote a phrase in a book titled True Friendship, “When you are in delight happiness...
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...Movies Music Novels People Planet Earth: Weather and Natural Disasters Politics Psychology Religion Science Social Issues Sports Technology The Environment Join Help & Info Back Help & Info FAQs Support Acceptable Use Policy Login FRIENDSHIP Word Count: 1060 Approx Pages: 4 FRIENDSHIP There are many valuable things in life, but friendship may be one of the most important. To live life without the experience of friendship, is life without living. Human interaction is a necessity to survival, but developed friendships are essential to the successful well being of anyone. Based upon Webster's Dictionary, the definition of a friend is, "A person whom one knows, likes and trusts." But to all, Friendship has no defined terminology. The definition of a friend, and friendship, is based upon one's own notions. Many people look for different characteristics in friends, things that may be common in nature. There are many different types of friends that one wants or needs. There are Five different categories for these friends. It is best in nature to recognize and appreciate various kinds of friends. The first type of friend in the friendship is an acquaintance. This is the beginning to all basics, and deeper friendships. This is the person with whom, is only known on a pure, and basic level. The insight to this person's life, is merely an observation from a person's perception. Usually, these are the types of friends that a person may meet in school, at work, local...
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...Gilgamesh is a complex bond of true friendship. Enkidu not only serves as a friend, but also a loving brother, a soul mate and a mirror of Gilgamesh. However; this relationship is more than just a bond between friends. Enkidu's life and death serve a great purpose as a catalyst for Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh is deeply affected by Enkidu and this is primarily because of the strength of their relationship. Anne Kelly cites Aristotle when defining this bond as a true friendship. Aristotle believed in four types of friendships. First, a friendship of utility. This is based on what the friends can gain from each other. Second, a friendship of pleasure, which is based on the pleasure gained from each other. The third type of friendship is of inequality, where both parties gain something different than what they give. And finally, the fourth type is a true friendship, which grows slowly over time. This type involves love and trust between equals. (Kelly, 1) The relationship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu is a good example of the fourth type of friendship. At first, they are not friends at all. Enkidu was created as a test for Gilgamesh. Once this trial is overcome, their bond slowly starts to build. Although Enkidu is uncivilized when they first meet, Gilgamesh takes him under his wing and humanizes him. By doing this, Gilgamesh treats Enkidu as an equal and a friend. Kelly goes on to state that Aristotle also mentions the beneficial nature of such a friendship for each of its parties. We see...
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...Case Study-Friendship Baptist Church-Organizational Diagnosis and Recommendations Friendship Baptist Church is a religious non-profit established in 1976 in the city of Merced, California. Its origin was sparked by an inter-organizational conflict within the Greater St. Matthews Baptist church. With fifteen original members, Friendship Baptist church began. Today, it has a membership of approximately sixty-five (65) members. The Leader of the non-profit is, by default, the Pastor. There has been a total of four pastors including the current pastor. The longest tenue of the leaders has been ten years, so a lack of stability within the leadership has always been an issue. All organizational power has traditionally been in the office of the Pastor....
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...much self-centered attitude, you see, brings, you see, isolation. Result: loneliness, fear, anger. The extreme self-centered attitude is the source of suffering." (Dalai Lama). John Steinbeck's novel, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, prominently characterises loneliness. Steinbeck conveys that selfish intentions cause loneliness as seen through friendship and desire. For example, In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, George and Lennie's friendship is rooted in selfish purposes. Steinbeck promotes this concept when George speaks to Lennie, “ Cause I want you to stay with me.”(Steinbeck 13). Indicating to the reader that while George had a “want” for Lennie to be his companion, there was no need for Lennie to stay with George other than...
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...other humans to seek happiness in their life. Majority of happiness are originated from the bond and relationship people make with each other. Values and meanings of relationship cannot certainly be measured with tangible objects; yet, respect and feelings of love can only be obtained by truly understanding one another. In a novel, “Embers,” the author, Sandor Marai, articulates the true friendship between Konrad and Henrik. The dream, passion, and youth which Konrad and Henrik shared burned furiously until lust and envy within human nature had devoured the burning flame. Even though forty-one years and forty-three days have passed, the heat of friendship continues to remain hot in embers. Henrik patiently waits for Konrad’s return to shine the light upon the darkness which concluded their friendship in turmoil. Absolute trust, unfathomable understanding, and altruistic forgiveness are what held Konrad and Henrik together, ultimately leading them to remove the misunderstanding from their nostalgia. Complete trust between Konrad and Henrik has never allowed the seed of doubt to grow in their friendship. Even though it has already been more than forty years ever since Konrad left Henrik, Henrik assures himself that Konrad will return to him. Although times that have been elapsed have taken away Henrik and Konrad’s youth, Henrik’s certainty of Konrad’s return does not change a bit. Henrik’s confidence and his prediction regarding Konrad’s return can be expressed in the following passage:...
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...have a real friendship. Throughout the novel, Gene and Finny exhibit that they are not true friends because of the jealousy and hate involved in their relationship. Gene and Finny display a fallacious relationship through the envy that builds up throughout the novel. Gene shows signs of jealousy when Finny gets away with an act, “He had gotten away with everything. I felt a sudden stab of disappointment,” (Knowles...
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...Aelred of Rievaulx, Spiritual Friendship, he distinguishes between the different types of friendship of which he calls carnal worldly and spiritual. Carnal friendship he believes is based on needs for pleasure, worldly friendship are the things that can be gained from the friendship and spiritual friendship is one that is rooted in shared beliefs in Christ and being a neighbor to your friend. One of Aelred strongest argument is that the friendship between the poor is extremely genuine because “poverty removes the hope of gain in friendship.” The existence of poverty allows individuals to be there true selves; they can genuinely care for a person without hatred. Aelred argument is not say we cannot have friends that are rich, but our friendship...
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...Title of the textThe Billet | Author/DirectorGraeme Lay | Text TypeShort Story | Question1- Choose an idea in the text you have read and evaluate in detail how it is presented. Support your evaluation with specific example (quotations) Answer= Friendship ‘’Fifteen year old Stephan Lowe watched and listens as the Billet were allocated ‘’. Every year Stephan wished he could a Billet home and not once he did. Stephan knows his parents won’t have any objection on him bringing a Billet home. Stephan was really on taking a Billet home fortunately he fails every time, but this time he was lucky, he had to replace Billy Ihaia’s Billet. The reason why Stephan always gets rejected taking a Billet home is because billets are maori and Stephan is pakeha, but this time Stephan is taking Billy’s Ihaia’s Billet home. The main idea of this text is ‘’Friendship’’ , the reason why friendship because Stephan had a new friend whom his taking home to introducing to his parents even though he’s a maori and he will be un-aware of the rules and regulation which is followed at Stephan’s house. QUESTION 2- How do you relate to a character/event/idea/setting in this text? Give your personal opinion of this character and reflect on why you think this: ANSWER=Entering a new environment and learning about the way of lifr Stephan leaves in, it was hard for terry to cope because he was concerned about what Stephan’s parents might think about him but Stephan and his parents were really welcoming towards...
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...definition of love. The Bible says “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres.” (1st Corinthians 13:5-7). In order for me to give you my best definition of love, I would have to use the four types of love given by the ancient Greek philosophers. They are phileo, the love of friendship; storge, the love of family and relatives; eros, the love of affection and obsession; and agape, the unconditional love. Phileo, the love of friendship, is not sexual in nature. Phileo basically covers everything that has to do with a friendly affection of one person to another. It includes loyalty to friends, family, and their community. Phileo love truly describes friendship and the bonds that are strengthened by shared experiences. Most of us have at least someone that we call best friend. The tender affection we have for them is an example of phileo. Storge means family affection between family members. It is extremely important for all human beings, children and adults. It is natural affection, like the love of a parent to a child and a child to the parent. It is described as the most natural, emotive, and widely diffused of loves. It is a love that is not subjected to conditions or limitations. ...
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