Friendship

Saturday, April 7, 2007
First Aired:
Tuesday, November 29, 2005

What Is It

Who do we call friends? Do we need friends out of love for others or for ourselves? Is a life with friends necessarily a better life? Ancient philosophers, such as Aristotle, wrote extensively on the topic. John and Ken examine just what friendship means in the modern life with their friend, Martha Nussbaum, Professor of Law and Ethics, University of Chicago.

Listening Notes

现代哲学家很少谈论友谊,但古代哲学家认为它是道德和美好生活的必要条件。他们也不认为男人和女人可以有友谊,这一点今天大多数人可能不同意。对亚里士多德来说,友谊是健康生活的必要部分,是美好生活的必要部分。肯指出,我们欠朋友一些东西;如果义务与道德冲突会发生什么?友谊的背后显然有一种哲学上的考量。约翰问,为什么独自生活还不够,为什么还需要朋友?对于我们的嘉宾Martha Nussbaum来说,友谊就是分享我们所关心的事情。她说,一个人可以更好地理解自己关心的事情,当那个人与他人分享它,我们可以为他/她自己的利益。

所有这些分享都是好的,但肯问我们的朋友,但我们有很大的分歧,例如在政治或宗教上。显然这里有一个区别。玛莎指出,友谊有不同的基础,一些是为了快乐,共同的事业,或更深层次的目标,使你的生活有意义的事情。

There is also an ethical significance behind friendship regarding what you owe your friends or they owe you. For Martha, the most important factor is giving time to another person, The American legal system also regards the secrets shared in a relationship like a marriage as crucial for the relationship. There is also a role of empathy and sympathy for friends.

Is friendship a genetic leftover? Ken believes we are coalition-forming creatures, and that humans morally flourish by having another as a mirror, who also has concern for you.

  • Roving Philosophical Reporter(寻找到4:22):沈汝君(音)关注幼儿园里的友谊,以及是什么让孩子们走到了一起。

Transcript