Friendship and Self-Love in Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics

Introduction Aristotle, a pupil of Plato is one of the greatest, ancient Athenian philosophers. Nicomachean Ethics is Aristotle's most advanced work on ethics. In fact, Nicomachean Ethics was written around 340 BC. It is most likely to have been named after either his father or son, who were both named Nicomachus. Undoubtedly, friendship is one of the most important elements in the books of Aristotle's ethical principles. Out of the ten books of Nicomachean Ethics, only …

…to live a good life. A true friend helps the other to achieve a character of virtue and only wish for the best for him/her. Moreover, one must fulfill his/her own needs in order to be happy, but not to a selfish degree. Furthermore, proper self-love is different from selfishness. In conclusion, friendship is equal to self-love because in true friendships, friends will love one another unconditionally as they love their own self.