§7.1περὶ φιλίας, τί ἐστι καὶ ποῖόν τι, καὶ τίς ὁ φίλος, καὶ πότερον ἡ φιλία μοναχῶς λέγεται ἢ πλεοναχῶς, καὶ εἰ πλεοναχῶς, πόσα ἐστίν, ἔτι δὲ πῶς χρηστέον τῷ φίλῳ καὶ τί τὸ δίκαιον τὸ φιλικόν, ἐπισκεπτέον οὐθενὸς ἧττον τῶν περὶ τὰ ἤθη καλῶν καὶ αἱρετῶν.
Concerning friendship, what it is and what kind of thing it is, and who is the friend, and whether friendship is spoken of in one way or in many ways, and if in many ways, how many they are, and furthermore, how one must treat a friend and what friendly justice is, must be investigated no less than any other of the noble and choice-worthy things concerning character.
τῆς τε γὰρ πολιτικῆς ἔργον εἶναι δοκεῖ μάλιστα ποιῆσαι φιλίαν, καὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν διὰ τοῦτό φασιν εἶναι χρήσιμον· οὐ γὰρ ἐνδέχεσθαι φίλους ἑαυτοῖς εἶναι τοὺς ἀδικουμένους ὑπʼ ἀλλήλων.
For indeed the work of political science seems especially to produce friendship, and they say for this reason that virtue is useful; for it is not possible for those who are wronged by one another to be friends to themselves.
ἔτι τὸ δίκαιον καὶ τὸ ἄδικον περὶ τοὺς φίλους εἶναι μάλιστα πάντες φαμέν, καὶ ὁ αὐτὸς δοκεῖ ἀνὴρ εἶναι καὶ ἀγαθὸς καὶ φίλος, καὶ φιλία ἠθική τις εἶναι ἕξις, καὶ ἐάν τις βούληται ποιῆσαι ὥστε μὴ ἀδικεῖν, ἀλλʼ εἰς φίλους ποιῆσαι· οἱ γὰρ ἀληθινοὶ φίλοι οὐκ ἀδικοῦσιν.
Further, we all say that justice and injustice are especially concerning friends, and the same man seems to be both good and a friend, and friendship seems to be a certain moral state, and if one wishes to make people not do injustice, one should make them friends; for true friends do not do injustice.
ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ ἐὰν δίκαιοι ὦσιν, οὐκ ἀδικήσουσιν· ἢ ταὐτὸν ἄρα ἢ ἐγγύς τι ἡ δικαιοσύνη καὶ ἡ φιλία.
But indeed, if they are just, they will not do injustice; therefore, justice and friendship are either the same or something very close.
πρὸς δὲ τούτοις τῶν μεγίστων ἀγαθῶν τὸν φίλον εἶναι ὑπολαμβάνομεν, τὴν δὲ ἀφιλίαν καὶ τὴν ἐρημίαν δεινότατον, ὅτι ὁ βίος ἅπας καὶ ἡ ἑκούσιος ὁμιλία μετὰ τούτων· μετʼ οἰκείων γὰρ ἢ μετὰ συγγενῶν ἢ μεθʼ ἑταίρων συνδιημερεύομεν, ἢ τέκνων ἢ γονέων ἢ γυναικός.
In addition to these things, we suppose the friend to be among the greatest goods, and the absence of friends and solitude to be the most terrible thing, because the whole of life and voluntary association are with these; for we spend our days with our family, relatives, or companions, or children, parents, or wife.
καὶ τὰ ἴδια δίκαια τὰ πρὸς τοὺς φίλους ἐστὶν ἐφʼ ἡμῖν μόνον, τὰ δὲ πρὸς τοὺς ἄλλους νενομοθέτηται, καὶ οὐκ ἐφʼ ἡμῖν.
And the private justice concerning friends is in our power alone, but that toward others is established by law and is not in our power.
ἀπορεῖται δὲ πολλὰ περὶ τῆς φιλίας, πρῶτον μὲν ὡς οἱ ἔξωθεν παραλαμβάνοντες καὶ ἐπὶ πλέον λέγοντες· δοκεῖ γὰρ τοῖς μὲν τὸ ὅμοιον τῷ ὁμοίῳ εἶναι φίλον, ὅθεν εἴρηται
"
ὡς αἰεὶ τὸν ὅμοιον ἄγει θεὸς ὡς τὸν ὅμοιον· "
"καὶ γὰρ κολοιὸς παρὰ κολοιόν· "
"ἔγνω δὲ φώρ τε φῶρα, καὶ λύκος λύκον. "
οἱ δὲ φυσιολόγοι καὶ τὴν ὅλην φύσιν διακοσμοῦσιν ἀρχὴν λαβόντες τὸ τὸ ὅμοιον ἰέναι πρὸς τὸ ὅμοιον, διὸ Ἐμπεδοκλῆς καὶ τὴν κύνʼ ἔφη καθῆσθαι ἐπὶ τῆς κεραμῖδος διὰ τὸ ἔχειν πλεῖστον ὅμοιον.
And many puzzles are raised concerning friendship, first of all as those who introduce outside arguments and speak more widely do; for to some, it seems that like is friend to like, whence it has been said "as god always leads like to like" and "for a jackdaw is beside a jackdaw" and "thief knows thief, and wolf knows wolf." But the natural philosophers also arrange the whole of nature by taking as a principle that like goes to like, wherefore Empedocles also said that the dog sits upon the tile because it has most likeness to it.
οἳ μὲν οὖν οὕτω τὸ φίλον λέγουσιν· οἳ δὲ τὸ ἐναντίον τῷ ἐναντίῳ φασὶν εἶναι φίλον.
Some, then, speak of the friend in this way; but others say that the opposite is friend to the opposite.
τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἐρώμενον καὶ ἐπιθυμητὸν πᾶσιν εἶναι φίλον, ἐπιθυμεῖ δὲ οὐ τὸ ξηρὸν τοῦ ξηροῦ, ἀλλʼ ὑγροῦ, ὅθεν εἴρηται
"ἐρᾷ μὲν ὄμβρου γαῖα"
καὶ τὸ
"
μεταβολὴ πάντων γλυκύ. "
ἡ δὲ μεταβολὴ εἰς τοὐναντίον.
For that which is loved and desired is a friend to all, but the dry does not desire the dry but the wet, whence it has been said "the earth loves rain" and "change in all things is sweet." And change is into the opposite.
τὸ δʼ ὅμοιον ἐχθρὸν τῷ ὁμοίῳ· καὶ γὰρ
"
κεραμεὺς κεραμεῖ κοτέει,
"
καὶ τὰ ἀπὸ τῶν αὐτῶν τρεφόμενα πολέμια ἀλλήλοις ζῷα.
But like is an enemy to like; for indeed "potter is angry with potter," and animals fed from the same things are hostile to one another.
αὗται μὲν οὖν αἱ ὑπολήψεις τοσοῦτον διεστᾶσιν.
These opinions, then, stand so far apart.
αἳ μὲν γὰρ τὸ ὅμοιον φίλον, τὸ δʼ ἐναντίον πολέμιον,
"
τῷ πλέονι δʼ αἰεὶ πολέμιον καθίσταται
τοὔλασσον, ἐχθρᾶς θʼ ἡμέρας κατάρχεται,
"
ἔτι δὲ καὶ οἱ τόποι κεχωρισμένοι τῶν ἐναντίων, ἡ δὲ φιλία δοκεῖ συνάγειν· οἳ δὲ τὰ ἐναντία φίλα, καὶ Ἡράκλειτος ἐπιτιμᾷ τῷ ποιήσαντι
"
ὡς ἔρις ἔκ τε θεῶν καὶ ἀνθρώπων ἀπόλοιτο,
"
οὐ γὰρ ἂν εἶναι ἁρμονίαν μὴ ὄντος ὀξέος καὶ βαρέος, οὐδὲ τὰ ζῷα ἄνευ θήλεως καὶ ἄρρενος ἐναντίων ὄντων.
For some say like is friend and the opposite is hostile, and "the lesser always stands as hostile to the greater, and begins the day of enmity," and further that the places of opposites are separate, but friendship seems to bring together; but others say that opposites are friends, and Heraclitus reproaches the one who wrote "would that strife might perish from among gods and men," for there would be no harmony without high and low pitch, nor animals without female and male, which are opposites.
δύο μὲν αὗται δόξαι περὶ φιλίας εἰσί, λίαν τε καθόλου καὶ κεχωρισμέναι τοσοῦτον· ἄλλαι δὲ ἤδη ἐγγυτέρω καὶ οἰκεῖαι τῶν φαινομένων.
These two opinions concerning friendship, then, are too general and stand so far apart; but there are others now closer and more proper to the phenomena.
τοῖς μὲν γὰρ οὐκ ἐνδέχεσθαι δοκεῖ τοὺς φαύλους εἶναι φίλους, ἀλλὰ μόνον τοὺς ἀγαθούς· τοῖς δʼ ἄτοπον εἰ μὴ φιλοῦσιν αἱ μητέρες τὰ τέκνα (φαίνεται δὲ καὶ ἐν τοῖς θηρίοις ἐνοῦσα φιλία· προαποθνήσκειν γοῦν αἱροῦνται τῶν τέκνων)·
For to some, it does not seem possible for the bad to be friends, but only the good; but to others, it is strange if mothers do not love their children (and friendship appears to exist even among wild beasts; at least they choose to die for their children); and to others, only the useful seems to be a friend.
τοῖς δὲ τὸ χρήσιμον δοκεῖ φίλον εἶναι μόνον. σημεῖον δʼ ὅτι καὶ διώκουσι ταῦτα πάντες, τὰ δὲ ἄχρηστα καὶ αὐτοὶ αὑτῶν ἀποβάλλουσιν· ὥσπερ Σωκράτης ὁ γέρων ἔλεγε τὸν πτύελον καὶ τὰς τρίχας καὶ τοὺς ὄνυχας παραβάλλων, καὶ τὰ μόρια ὅτι ῥιπτοῦμεν τὰ ἄχρηστα, καὶ τέλος τὸ σῶμα, ὅταν ἀποθάνῃ·
And the sign is that all pursue this, but throw away the useless even from themselves; as the elder Socrates said, comparing spit, hair, and nails, and that we throw away useless parts, and finally the body when it dies; for the corpse is useless.
ἄχρηστος γὰρ ὁ νεκρός. οἷς δὲ χρήσιμον, φυλάττουσιν, ὥσπερ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ.
But those to whom it is useful keep it, as in Egypt.
ταῦτα δὴ πάντα δοκεῖ μὲν ὑπεναντία ἀλλήλοις εἶναι.
Now all these things seem to be opposite to one another.
τό τε γὰρ ὅμοιον ἄχρηστον τῷ ὁμοίῳ, καὶ ἐναντιότης ὁμοιότητος ἀπέχει πλεῖστον, καὶ τὸ ἐναντίον ἀχρηστότατον τῷ ἐναντίῳ· φθαρτικὸν γὰρ τοῦ ἐναντίου τὸ ἐναντίον.
For like is useless to like, and contrariety is farthest removed from likeness, and the opposite is most useless to the opposite; for the opposite is destructive of the opposite.
ἔτι δοκεῖ τοῖς μὲν ῥᾴδιον τὸ κτήσασθαι φίλον· τοῖς δὲ σπανιώτατον γνῶναι, καὶ οὐκ ἐνδέχεσθαι ἄνευ ἀτυχίας (τοῖς γὰρ εὖ πράττουσι βούλονται πάντες δοκεῖν φίλοι εἶναι)· οἳ δʼ οὐδὲ τοῖς συνδιαμένουσιν ἐν ταῖς ἀτυχίαις ἀξιοῦσι πιστεύειν, ὡς ἐξαπατῶντας καὶ προσποιουμένους, ἵνα κτήσωνται διὰ τῆς τῶν ἀτυχούντων ὁμιλίας πάλιν εὐτυχούντων φιλίαν.
Further, to some it seems easy to acquire a friend, but to others a most rare thing to recognize them, and not possible without misfortune (for all wish to seem friends to those who fare well); and others do not even think it right to trust those who remain together in misfortunes, on the ground that they are deceiving and pretending in order that they may acquire again, through the association with those in misfortune, the friendship of those faring well.