The Nicomachean Ethics Book 9, Chapter 12 (1171b30-1172a15) Summary

  • Aristotle sums up his commentary on friendship, emphasizing that it's a function of community: friends live together and relish each other's existence.
  • Friends choose activities that best help them spend their days together.
  • As for the base people: they get worse in their mingling with other base people. Good people get even better when they spend time with the virtuous.
  • Friends also train each other, making each other better by commenting on which behaviors are most pleasant to them.