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  • Essay / Friendships according to Aristotle And Aristotle's theory...

    Aristotle's philosophical theory of a person's happiness includes friendship. For a person to achieve the greatest happiness and well-being, they must have friendships. He states that even people who hold wealth and power seek friends, “no one would choose to live without friends even if he possessed all other good things” (Aristotle 258). Friendships, according to Aristotle, are also the bond that unites communities and have a higher importance than justice, since friendship is the primary object. These are three different types of friendship in which all share the same amount of qualities and type of affection, however, only one is lasting. The three types of friendships he describes are, by reason of utility, friendships. These friendships are usually short-lived because their attitudes and feelings change quickly. The perfect type of friendship is based on kindness, according to Aristotle. “Only the friendship of those who are good and similar in goodness is perfect” (Aristotle 263). In this type of friendship, the friendship is based on similarities between the parties. They strive to do good to each other and to give each other pleasure. It is the longest and purest friendship of the three. “Those who desire the good of their friends for the good of their friend are truly friends because each loves the other for who he is and not for anything incidental” (Aristotle 263). According to Aristotle, this is the rarest type of friendship because a person must be able to devote the time and intimacy necessary to establish it, but in doing so makes them vulnerable, something few people are willing to do. . They also need to prove that they are worthy of love and trust. Aristotle concludes that establishing such a friendship will help a person achieve ultimate happiness and Mill states that it is an essential entity for a person to achieve ultimate happiness. However, the question of when the government should have the right to limit a person's freedom is one that continues to be problematic over time. Mill describes that it is not only the government that limits a person's freedom, but it is also society that attempts to regulate it. He defines society as a majority attempting to control a minority due to their own beliefs based on their views. Societies that attempt to control others into sharing the same beliefs as them are defined by Mill as social tyranny. “Social tyranny is more formidable than many forms of political oppression” (Mill 9), because it is not punished, therefore it leaves fewer means of escape and results in the enslavement of the soul. Protection from a tyrannical society that attempts to impose the practices of its own ideas is essential so that everyone can have the ability to gain the independence necessary to put their own beliefs into practice. Mill firmly believes that a person should have the freedom to pursue their own good in their own way as long as it does not harm or impose an obligation on others to obtain their own good. When a person threatens the safety of others and begins to act accordingly for their own benefit, then it is necessary for the government to intervene to limit a person's freedom..