SHOULD WE SHARE MISFORTUNE WITH OUR FRIENDS? MIXTURES OF PLEASURE AND PAIN IN THE CONTEXT OF ARISTOTLE’S THEORY OF FRIENDSHIP

• Authors: Linka Vojtěch
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

This paper explores Aristotle’s claim that, while we should be ready to assist our friends in their misfortunes, we should not share our pain with them and instead share only good things. I analyse the role this idea plays within Aristotle’s overall theory of friendship, particularly his argument that sharing pain with friends brings us pleasure but causes them pain. Further, I examine Aristotle’s broader understanding of pleasure and pain, including their interplay and his view on the nature of their mixture. I show that Aristotle’s discussion of feeling both pleasure and pain when sharing misfortunes with friends has deeper ontological implications, rooted in his theory of mixture. Aristotle’s claim that we should avoid sharing pain with friends, I argue, reflects not only his conception of what constitutes a noble friendship but also his understanding of the ontological incompatibility of pleasure and pain as a true mixture.

Keywords

EN

ARISTOTLE; FRIENDSHIP; PAIN; PLEASURE

• Publisher: Institute of Philosophy, Slovak Academy of Sciences
• Journal: Filozofia (Philosophy)
• Year: 2025
• Volume: 80
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 35 – 48

Contributors

author

Linka Vojtěch

• Charles University, Faculty of Humanities, Pátkova 2137/5, 182 00 Prague 8, Czech Republic

• https://orcid.org/0009-0006-3378-8684

Identifiers

DOI

https://doi.org/10.31577/filozofia.2025.80.1.3