Tag: friendship

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    Michel de Montaigne and the advantages of intellectual independence

    While the risks of intellectual interdependence are obvious, the advantages are rarely mentioned. Widespread silence about the advantages explains why many people dismiss intellectual independence as unworkable or unaffordable. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) played a pivotal role in affirming intellectual independence as advantageous, first of all, for its practitioners. His literary output proves the feasibility…

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    Michel de Montaigne’s thoughts on friendship

    Inflation in usage has devalued the word “friend.” In today’s parlance, “friend” doesn’t even mean acquaintance. People call “friends” individuals they have never met and with whom they have little in common. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) wrote extensively about friendship, which he rightly viewed as one of the greatest joys in life. His essay “On…

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    Aristotle’s views on friendship

    Aristotle addressed friendship in his “Nicomachean Ethics.” He viewed friendship as indispensable for leading a happy life, but identified three types of friendships: those based on utility, those based on pleasure, and those based on shared values or virtues. The latter is by far the most valuable. Friendships of utility are based on mutual interest.…