Date of Graduation

8-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Philosophy (MA)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Philosophy

Advisor/Mentor

Purdy, Ashley

Committee Member

Funkhouser, Eric M.

Second Committee Member

Ward, Barry M.

Keywords

Friendship; Intimacy; Theory of import

Abstract

There is a tradition in moral theory that holds that friendship is necessary for living well. That is, if our aim is to live a good life or a flourishing life, then that life will include building and maintaining friendships. Aristotle and Plato both share this view and express similar claims about the necessity of friendship for the pursuer of a good life. Contemporaries of both have spent time interpreting their claims and have long commented on the intrinsic value of friendship. I pick up on a strand of the debate by exploring the purported value of friendship. While considerable work has been done to justify the care involved in friendship and the shared activities that illustrate the interactions of friends, very little work has been done to explore the kind of intimacy between friends. Intimacy, I argue, is the intrinsic feature of friendship that explains friendship’s necessary role in a good life, while also distinguishing the depth of the relationship needed to justify the relationship to others. I split up the investigation into three chapters that each explore the question of the value of friendship. If we want to know why friendship is valuable, then we need to first understand what it means to value something at all. I sketch a theory of import that accurately describes how our emotions and evaluative judgments are exercised together. I argue this theory is compelling because it avoids the conative-cognitive divide and has intuitive appeal in its treatment of things we value and how they are valued. Where the account lacks explanatory power, I suggest well-being can play a pivotal role. An account of well-being can help clarify why we value certain things and their overall place in our value system. The account should not only complete our account of valuing, but it should also help justify the necessary role of friendship in living well. I suggest the realization of one’s well-being is the first step in living well and friendship can facilitate this realization. How does this happen? As an essential feature of well-being, intimate connection should connect the relationship between friendship and well-being. Thus, friendships that assist and facilitate our awareness of those connections will help us live a good life. At this point, we should have an answer to how friendship is related to well-being and why it is valuable. Friendship intimacy as I spell it out will answer both. To understand this idea fully I turn next to intimacy itself. After establishing the general notion of intimacy, I contrast it with friendship intimacy to locate the features that make friendship intimacy so valuable. I then consider the problems in adopting a prominent view of intimacy and offer some alterations to the account to emphasize the importance of intimate connections and autonomy in friendship. Finally, I consider some upshots of the updated view of intimacy and the intrinsic value found in friendship.

Download

Share

COinS