The Dialectics of Friendship

First published in 1989, The Dialectics of Friendship explores the ideals and paradoxes of friendship against the backdrop of other relationships.

The book begins with an introduction to the subject of friendship in its historical and cultural setting. Following chapters explore the ideal of friendship in classical Greece, and the richness and ambiguities of friendship in the Christian tradition. The social dimensions of friendship are discussed, including among children, between men, betwe...