Carter McFarland
Foundations of Philosophy
Professor Kyongsook Kim
November 12, 2013
Friendships Within a Team
When I first learned about the four different types of friendships discussed by the
famous Greek Philosopher, Aristotle, I knew I could immediately relate them to my life.
The four types of friendships Aristotle discusses are called utility friendships, friendships
based on pleasure, quasi friendships, and friendships based on virtue. All four of these
friendships have different values associated with them. As a member of the Men’s
Swimming and Diving team here at Loyola University, I can honestly say I experience
these four types of friendships on a regular basis. I find it very interesting that ideals
written around 350 BCE still have a very similar meaning today in 2013.
The first type of friendship is a utility friendship. A utility friendship is a type of
friendship that you use only for your own personal benefit. This type of friendship is
incomplete because you are only using it for your benefit and the other person is only
loved for what they can provide for you, not for their personal character. In other words,
they are providing a service or care for you, but you aren’t showing them any love back.
Even though you’re probably giving them money in exchange for what they are doing,
that is still an inferior exchange because they have provided you with something more
meaningful. Aristotle describes utility friendships as “the sake of what is good for
themselves…And thus these friendships are only incidental; for it is not as being the man
he is that the loved person is loved”. Aristotle also goes on to say that because these
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friendships are only useful at different times, they are easily dissolved. For example he
says, “Such friendships, then, are easily dissolved” 1.
I don’t have a car, so I have a utility friendship with a person on my team who does
have one. I don’t want to have to walk 10 minutes to practice, so I usually ride with my
utility friend who has a car. I don’t provide him with anything significant, but yet, he still
drives me to and from practice almost every day. I completely understand where
Aristotle is coming from when he says that utility friendships are easily dissolved. I say
that, because after our season is over and I no longer need rides to and from practice, my
friendship with my utility friend tends to break away because he is no longer providing
that service to me.
The second type of friendship that Aristotle discusses is a friendship based on
pleasure. A friendship based on pleasure is a friendship where the other person is only
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