Study Guide

The Nicomachean Ethics Book 4, Chapter 6 (1126b11-1127a13)

By Aristotle

Book 4, Chapter 6 (1126b11-1127a13)

On to the virtue relating to friendship.
If a person is a massive suck-up in relationships with others, Aristotle says that they're "obsequious."
But if he has Oppositional Defiance Disorder, he would be "quarrelsome."
Once again, the middle term or mean is nameless, but Aristotle takes a stab at it: "friendliness."
This isn't quite "friendship" because a friendly person makes nice with most people, but doesn't necessarily form the kind of emotional attachment that he might have with a true friend.
A friendly person is equally pleasant with strangers and acquaintances.
He's careful to walk the line between antagonist and suck up, trying hard not to cause pain to anyone without being a court jester. He's "appropriate" in his behavior.
If a person attempts to please others in order to gain something for himself, Aristotle calls him a "flatterer."