ORDER OF AUGUSTINIAN RECOLLECTS

Province of St. Ezekiel Moreno

Casiciaco Recoletos Seminary, Inc.
48 Naguilian-cor. Asin Rd., Baguio City

“Sed Luz y Amor Para el Mundo!” (Be Light and Love for the World!)

DE GUZMAN, BONNIE R. NOVEMBER 21, 2022

CRITIQUE PAPER IN SEMINAR ON PLATO & ARISTOTLE

RESEARCH TITLE: Evaluating Online Friendship in the Light of Aristotle’s Notion of

Friendship

RESEARCHER: Bro. Pat Dexter D. Abucejo

Our lives have indeed become easier and comfortable in the advent of technology. We
have been able to discover and invent so many things such as our form of communication that
was made faster and easier. Everything seemed to be just one click away. However, as we go
along with the signs of time, we tend to get indulged with everything that our technology could
offer us and so, we become unconscious of our morality and on how we deal with others. It is so
relevant that the researcher wrote this research which addresses one of the issues concerning the
use of these modern forms of communications that tend to create fake identities and relationships
among individuals especially the youth. While it is indeed a relevant study, there are some points
I want to raise for the improvement of your paper. Hence, I would like to give the following
comments, suggestions, recommendations and questions.

I would like to begin with my comments, suggestions, and recommendations as follows:

1. For easy access, please include the page number in your paper.

2. In your introduction, I think the fifth paragraph must be placed at the beginning since
it is describing something about man as a social animal as well as the characteristics
of friendship. It would be better to end your introduction with the fourth paragraph
which has successfully explained your paper’s purpose as well as your claim.

3. Your paper was supported with various researches and studies that made it scholarly.

4. The part of the discussion on Aristotle’s friendship and online were for me, well
structured.

5. On the part of your evaluation, I was just confused on the sub-topic Living Together
and Mutual Recognition if they refer to your main evaluation tool for online
friendship or is it the elements such as theoria, mutual recognition and love and
admiration. Each has its own discussion so I think you need to clarify this matter.
ORDER OF AUGUSTINIAN RECOLLECTS
Province of St. Ezekiel Moreno
Casiciaco Recoletos Seminary, Inc.
48 Naguilian-cor. Asin Rd., Baguio City

“Sed Luz y Amor Para el Mundo!” (Be Light and Love for the World!)

6. On the 5th paragraph of your evaluation, I would like to clarify what you mean in this
line from Froding and Peterson’s which stated that A lot of genuine friendships can
from meeting online. The way I understood it is that there can be genuine friendship
in online meeting as it is supported by the succeeding line which stated that
friendship may start from utility and pleasure and eventually turn into virtue
friendship. If this is so, it would seem to contradict what you made mention in your
introduction, specifically, paragraph 4 lines 3-4 that online friendship does not
qualify as genuine friendship which you also repeated in your conclusion specifically
in paragraph 2, line 2.

7. I believe there was already a previous study same as yours which was done by
another seminarian in the other year level.

Finally, I would like to ask the following questions:

1. One of the most important parts of your discussion is that of Aristotle’s concept of
“shared life” as crucial in the Aristotelian theory of the best form of friendship. I
would just like to clarify what does Aristotle really mean by ‘shared life”? What
constitutes it? Does it only limit to physical interactions as you have discussed in your
paper?

2. You are very firm in saying that online/virtual friendship is not a virtuous form of
friendship because it lacks physical interaction. However, in explaining the concept
of “shared life”, Aristotle clarified that for human beings, living together is
accomplished by sharing “conversation and sharing their talks and thoughts; for
this is what would seem to be meant by living together where human beings are
concerned, not feeding in the same location as with grazing animals.” (NE,
1170b10-15). Does this mean that any medium allowing friends to share
conversations and thoughts could thus be compatible with virtue friendship? Hence,
could online friendship built from conversation and exchange of thoughts, mutual
development of ideas, making art, and playing games could possibly develop into a
best kind of friendship?

Thank you Bro. Abucejo because your study has given us new and substantial knowledge
about Aristotle’s concept of friendship especially that of “shared life” as an important component
of genuine and virtuous friendship. Congratulations for this great initiative. Keep up the good
work and may we altogether persevere with one heart and mind towards God.