Second Selves and Stoic Friends

Abstract

AbstractNotions of selfhood are strongly implicated in the ancient philosophers’ accounts of friendship. This chapter focuses on their idea that mutual benefit is essential to authentic friendship, and explores its ramifications in Stoicism. Like Aristotle, Stoic philosophers regard true friends as second selves. Unlike Aristotle, they restrict all friendships to persons of virtuous character. Stoic friends benefit one another not by material help but by sharing one another’s virtues and providing moral knowledge and motivation. They value one another not because of their distinctive personalities but because they are persons of a certain sort. The chapter includes discussions of friendship by Seneca and Epictetus.