RS 265 The Love of Friendship: Reflections on Character and Virtue
Aristotle was convinced that humans desire happiness more than anything, and that we are able to participate in happiness to the degree that we grow in goodness and become persons of character through the virtues. The Christian tradition took Aristotle one step further by proposing that, as creatures fashioned in the image of a relational Creator, it is impossible to become persons of goodness, character, and virtue apart from that particular love of friendship called (in Greek) philia. This course examines the role of friendship in flourishing and finding true happiness.