Bad men on the other hand have no reliability in friendship, because they do not even stay true to their own characters; but they can be friends for a short time, while they enjoy each other with their evil ways. . It is surprising to me that Aristotle never mentions that the main factor in all friendships is the desire each friend has for the good of the other. .
Some other claims that Aristotle makes in order to have a virtuous friendship is that there has to be an equality in both people, if there is no equality then they cannot be a true friendship. There is a difference in friendship when one is superior to the other. One man can be friends for utility, while the other is an actual good person. Then this friendship will not last because the good person will eventually see the true side of his other. Aristotle's favorite form of friendship was that of the one of goodness, the friendship of equals in behavior- that is two people creating a friendship based upon doing good in the world. But I am having a hard time with what Aristotle is saying because his highest form of friendship is superior to the rest of life's pleasures, such as, the joy of give and take that are found in our friendships or the pleasure of what he calls "bad men- and how they help each other forget who they or we have become. . First, Aristotle allows you the freedom of becoming virtuous simply by performing virtuous acts and forming a virtuous character. Yet at the same time, he has a certain acceptance of the way things are which makes him say, for instance, that an ugly man cannot be happy, or that if you have not been raised well, you have little chance of being a good man. But Aristotle has a serious reasoning which considers some of these facts: for instance, if you are an ugly, then you are not going to have many friends and will not be surrounded by good, virtuous people and therefore will probably not be happy.
