Cicero’s

 On  Friendship:    Virtue  and  Friendship  

Genuine  Friendship,  according  to  Cicero,  can  only  exist  between  morally  good  people  –  
those  who  possess,  or  at  least  recognize  and  strive  for  developing,  Moral  Virtue.  
 
It  is  important  from  the  start  to  get  clear  about  what  Cicero  means  in  this  dialogue  by  virtue  
or  moral  goodness.    His  main  character,  Laelius,  takes  pains  to  distinguish  the  level  of  virtue  
he  has  in  mind  from  the  seemingly  unattainable  ideals  of  certain  philosophers.  
 
Characteristics  of  Cicero’s  “Common  Sense”  Conception  of  Virtuous  Person  
 
has  good  moral  traits   other  important  conditions   lacks  bad  moral  traits  
• Good  Faith  (fides)   • constancy  of  character   • Greediness  (cupiditas)  
• Uprightness  (integritas)   • rightly  loves  oneself     • Lustfulness  (libido)  
• Fairness  (aequitas)   • virtuous  person  knows   • Impudence  (audacia)  
• Generosity  (liberalitas)   virtue  in  other  people    
 
 
According  to  Cicero,  by  nature,  human  beings  find  virtue  attractive,  and  want  to  be  friends  
with  those  who  are  –  or  who  appear  to  them  –  to  be  virtuous,  to  have  and  exhibit  goodness.  
 
• The  virtuous  will  recognize  in  the  other  virtuous  person  someone  who  is  like  them,  and  
will  want  to  be  friends  with  them  for  their  own  sake.  
• Those  who  are  not  yet  virtuous  will  also  recognize  the  goodness  and  value  in  the  
virtuous  person’s  character,  and  want  to  be  friends  with  them  for  their  own  sake.  
• Those  who  are  of  bad  character  will  still  recognize  something  of  the  goodness  of  the  
virtuous  person,  but  will  likely  value  them  just  for  what  they  can  get  from  them  
 
Genuine  friendship  develops  from  nature  rather  than  from  need,  producing  a  feeling  of  
what  ought  to  be  loved  (sensus  amandi),  i.e.  the  other  person  as  good  or  virtuous.  
 
What  does  Friendship  –  in  its  full  sense  -­‐-­‐  comprise  or  involve  in  Cicero’s  account?  
• He  defines  it  very  broadly  as  “fellow-­‐feeling  (consensio)  about  all  things,  human  and  
divine,  along  with  good-­‐will  (cum  benevolentia)  and  affection  (caritate).”  
• It  must  be  mutual  in  order  to  be  friendship  –  including  “reloving”  (redamare),  i.e.  loving  
in  return  
• It  arises  when  we  notice  that  there  is  a  congruence  or  similarity  between  the  mores  and  
nature  of  ourselves  and  the  other  person,  towards  whom  we  then  feel  love.  
• It  also  arises  out  of  noticing  the  virtue,  the  good-­‐will,  or  the  decent  character  of  another  
person.  
• There  is  an  openness  and  frankness  to  it.    Everything  is  genuine  or  true  (verum)  and  
spontaneous  or  willingly  chosen  (voluntarium).    Friendship  is  entirely  dependent  on  
truth.  
• In  friendship,  one  feels  affection  (diligere)  for  the  person  one  loves,  without  being  
motivated  by  any  need  or  usefulness.      
• Friendship’s  “wages”  consist  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  .very  love  it  involves  (omnis  eius  
fructus  in  ipso  amore  inest).    One  enjoys  the  very  love  itself  of  a  friend  (amici  amor  ipse).  

Copyright  Gregory  B.  Sadler,  ReasonIO  2013   ReasonIO:  philosophy  into  practice  
 Cicero’s  On  Friendship:    Virtue  and  Friendship  
Cicero  tells  us  two  important  things  about  Friendship’s  beginnings  and  development:  
 
1.  Friendship  among  good  people  is  based  in  the  Love  a  good  person  feels  towards  him-­‐  or  
herself  
 
  Other  GOOD  PERSON  
      GOOD  
  PERSON  
                 Recognizes  other  Self        
   
Loves      
 
Self   Goodness   LOVES   Goodness    
   
   
 
 
2.  Friendship  begins  in  mutual  affection  and  goodwill,  and  develops  through  other  things  
that  naturally  follow  from  or  express  that  feeling,  strengthening  the  Friendship  
 
 
 
  Valuing  the  Friend  and  the  Friendship  as  among  Greatest  Goods      
 
 
 
   
  Spending  time  with  each  other  
GOOD  PERSON   GOOD  PERSON  
 
(Friend)   (Friend)  
 
   
  Doing  good  services  to  each  other  
Developing  fuller   Developing   fuller  
 
understanding  of   understanding  of  
 
Friend’s  character   Friend’s   character  
  Being  truthful  with  each  other  
   
 
 
  BASIS:        MUTUAL  GOOD-­‐WILL  AND  AFFECTION    
 
 
 
 
Friendship  is  needed  for  the  virtuous  to  really  be  able  to  express,  live  out,  and  even  in  some  
respects  develop  their  virtues.    Friendship  also  has  an  integral  connection  with  Virtue  itself.  
 
• Virtue  is  a  cause  for  the  fullest,  most  genuine  kind  of  Friendship    
• Virtue  also  remains  a  necessary  condition  for  that  sort  of  Friendship  
• But,  Virtue  also  necessarily  seeks  its  expression  in  Friendship  
• Whether  one  really  has  Virtue  or  not  is  revealed  within  a  Friendship  
• And  Friendship  is  actually  a  “helper  of  the  virtues,”  in  that  greater  heights  of  Virtue  
can  be  reached  in  a  Friendship  than  when  one  is  on  one’s  own  
 

Copyright  Gregory  B.  Sadler,  ReasonIO  2013   ReasonIO:  philosophy  into  practice  
 Cicero’s  On  Friendship:    Virtue  and  Friendship  
Cicero  also  articulates  some  important  ways  in  which  Friendship  affects  and  Virtue:  
 
1.  Virtuous  People  Like  Each  Other:  
 
Friendship  allows  the  virtuous  to  fully  enjoy  the  kind  of  life  that  virtue  makes  possible  for  
them  –  sharing  it  with  a  friend.    This  is  shared  enjoyment  –  not  just  each  person  enjoying  
individually  and  happening  to  be  together.  
 
 
2.  Friendship  Helps  Fill  in  The  Gaps:  
 
Provided  both  friends  are  morally  good,  a  friendship  allows  differences  between  the  
friends  in  terms  of  other  types  of  goods  to  be  overcome  -­‐-­‐  “the  absent  are  present,  the  poor  
are  rich  the  weak  are  strong  and.  .  .  the  dead  are  alive”  
 
 
3.  Friendship  Provides  a  Place  for  Generosity:  
 
Friends  are  generous  with  each  other,  not  to  get  something  in  return,  but  to  express  their  
love/admiration  for  their  friend.    This  produces,  Cicero  says,  an  “honorable  rivalry”  
between  the  friends  
 
 
4.    Friendship  Produces  Community  Between  Friends:  
 
This  is  a  sharing  (communitas)  not  only  of  plans  and  of  things,  but  also  of  wills  
(voluntatum).    This  goes  so  far  as  to  allow  friends  to  deviate  to  some  extent  from  strict  
demands  of  virtue  when  the  life  or  reputation  of  the  friend  is  at  stake.  
 
 
5.    Friendship  Brings  the  Higher  Down  to  The  Lower:  
 
In  friendship,  the  higher  person  willingly  becomes  an  equal  to  the  lower  person.    This  
stems  from  the  nature  of  virtue,  which  makes  those  who  have  it  good  to  others.  
 
 
6.    Friendship  Involves  Adapting  Oneself  To  Others:  
 
Those  who  are  really  friends  with  another  will  adapt  themselves,  as  much  as  is  fitting,  to  
the  feelings  and  will  of  the  other  person.    As  Cicero  notes,  in  friendship,  virtue  is  tender  and  
flexible  
 
 
 
 

Copyright  Gregory  B.  Sadler,  ReasonIO  2013   ReasonIO:  philosophy  into  practice