The Philosophy of Friendship
My initial post for the New Year titled New Year; New Types of Friends suggests it is the perfect time to re-evaluate your friendships. In my next two posts in this series, I provide the history and philosophy of friendships. Starting with the ancient philosophers, many have spoken about the philosophy of friendships. Since then, dozens of sociologists, psychologists, anthropologists, and historians have written extensively about the need for humans to have friends. So let’s explore the early beliefs about friendships and the role they played at different times in history. Ancient Philosophy of Friendship Much of the early concepts for classical friendship came from philosophers in Greece and Rome who influenced the conduct of friends during the many centuries that followed. In ancient times, the philosophy of friendships included its social significance, moral basis, and the ethical rules it implied. As I wrote in the initial post of this