Philosophy
Aristotle wrote that friendship is a special relation that has ethical dimensions. Similarly, contemporary thinkers like Carol Gilligan, Nel Noddings, and Sara Ruddick have stressed that the relationship between friends comes with certain obligations to the befriended. If you are late for an important appointment and clock eyes with a stranger whose car has broken down on the side of a little traveled road in nasty weather with no cell phone, you might feel bad and wish you had time to stop as you drive by. But if it was a friend you see -- and who sees you--, you better pull over. Being a friend means caring about the other for the other's sake. Friendship means something.
But what does it mean to be a Facebook friend? Surely, that's a different sort of relationship, but what comes with it? The bar is certainly lower, but is there an ethical dimension there at all? What degree of care and consideration do you owe your Facebook friends?
Do other relations play a part? For example, I happily agree to be Facebook friends with former students who request it. But at the same time I avoid initiating the connection myself because it seems untoward. Our relationship during their time in college was one of unbalanced power and it seems awkward to approach them in this way after the fact, while it feels joyful when they approach me. I'd have no problem inviting them over for dinner (well, ok, some former students...), but this seems different. Is it?
- High Maintenance As A Moral Category
We had our senior thesis presentations the other day and one of our seniors wrote on the moral responsibilities that stem from friendship relations. She took an Aristotelian sort of approach and during the Q&A section, a colleague raised the...
- Best Friends
Given that "best" is a superlative, can one have more than one best friend? How many could one have and still rightly claim that all are best friends? We have special moral obligations to friends on the basis of the relationship, but are there special...
- The Moral Responsibility To Friends And Family
We grant special moral considerability to people who are our friends. Friendship comes with responsibility. You care about your friends in ways you do not care about strangers and therefore there will come times when you have to do things...
- The Superbowl, Care Ethics, And Numbers
Tommy Scils asks, "Saints or Colts?" It depends on the question: which team do I think will win or which do I want to win? I think the colts will probably take it, but anyone who is not rooting for the Saints is a horrible person. I especially want the...
- What Do You Do When Your Friend Is An Asshole?
Buridan has a recent post quoting H.L. Mencken: Someday the plain folks of the land will reach their heart?s desire, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron. I must admit, I have a soft spot for Mencken. Maybe it's because I'm...
Philosophy
Of Friends and "Friends"
Aristotle wrote that friendship is a special relation that has ethical dimensions. Similarly, contemporary thinkers like Carol Gilligan, Nel Noddings, and Sara Ruddick have stressed that the relationship between friends comes with certain obligations to the befriended. If you are late for an important appointment and clock eyes with a stranger whose car has broken down on the side of a little traveled road in nasty weather with no cell phone, you might feel bad and wish you had time to stop as you drive by. But if it was a friend you see -- and who sees you--, you better pull over. Being a friend means caring about the other for the other's sake. Friendship means something.
But what does it mean to be a Facebook friend? Surely, that's a different sort of relationship, but what comes with it? The bar is certainly lower, but is there an ethical dimension there at all? What degree of care and consideration do you owe your Facebook friends?
Do other relations play a part? For example, I happily agree to be Facebook friends with former students who request it. But at the same time I avoid initiating the connection myself because it seems untoward. Our relationship during their time in college was one of unbalanced power and it seems awkward to approach them in this way after the fact, while it feels joyful when they approach me. I'd have no problem inviting them over for dinner (well, ok, some former students...), but this seems different. Is it?
- High Maintenance As A Moral Category
We had our senior thesis presentations the other day and one of our seniors wrote on the moral responsibilities that stem from friendship relations. She took an Aristotelian sort of approach and during the Q&A section, a colleague raised the...
- Best Friends
Given that "best" is a superlative, can one have more than one best friend? How many could one have and still rightly claim that all are best friends? We have special moral obligations to friends on the basis of the relationship, but are there special...
- The Moral Responsibility To Friends And Family
We grant special moral considerability to people who are our friends. Friendship comes with responsibility. You care about your friends in ways you do not care about strangers and therefore there will come times when you have to do things...
- The Superbowl, Care Ethics, And Numbers
Tommy Scils asks, "Saints or Colts?" It depends on the question: which team do I think will win or which do I want to win? I think the colts will probably take it, but anyone who is not rooting for the Saints is a horrible person. I especially want the...
- What Do You Do When Your Friend Is An Asshole?
Buridan has a recent post quoting H.L. Mencken: Someday the plain folks of the land will reach their heart?s desire, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron. I must admit, I have a soft spot for Mencken. Maybe it's because I'm...