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On the So-called Focal Analysis of Friendship in Eudemian Ethics VII.2

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Published/Copyright: August 27, 2024
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Abstract

Aristotle is believed to have introduced the focal meaning of friendship in Eudemian Ethics VII.2 and then to have formulated it more generally in Metaphysics Γ.2. Bonitz’s unjustifiable emendation of the text underscores these interpretations. This paper therefore reads the MSS and supposes that the EE passage introduces a wider focal meaning based on the theory presented in the Categories, one that does not imply referential relationships between the primary and secondary terms. This wider focal meaning can help explain disputed terms in practical philosophy, such as “friendship” and “like-mindedness,” without invoking the Form of the Good.


Acknowledgment

I am grateful to an anonymous referee and to István Bodnár for their quite helpful suggestions and comments. Thanks are also due to Kiichi Kato for the discussion of many interpretative points. Remaining mistakes belong to the author.


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Published Online: 2024-08-27
Published in Print: 2024-08-26

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