Hundreds of years before the birth of Our Lord, Aristotle wrote a treatise on well-formed human
character called the Nicomachean Ethics. In this work, the philosopher reasons systematically
through different virtues, explaining how each one ought to be understood and developed. Then,
in the eighth chapter, he begins exploring what he deems a natural continuation of this topic:
friendship. He dismisses friendships of utility and pleasure as accidental; that is, someone in such
a friendship ultimately seeks his own well-being or pleasure. However, Aristotle then introduces
‘friendships of the good’ as the most desirable and perfect friendships.