Aristotle and the Philosophy of Friendship
Lorraine Smith Pangle
Cambridge, 2003

"Most of us do tend to work in order to rest and rest in order to live, but Aristotle says that neither of these is the proper goal of life. The proper goal is not work or recreation but the activity of serious leisure (1177b4-6). Most of us do not spend much time cultivating activities that are good in themselves and not frivolous, but we do recognize them: music, good conversation, gazing into a lover's eyes, learning and contemplating what we know, a quiet, deep enjoyment of what is beautiful. Most of us are too restless and too lazy to spend much time in such pursuits. We are ourselves not talented or accomplished in the arts, and being a spectator is less satisfying than being actively engaged in them. We find thinking difficult and unpleasant, and we are too agitated to contemplate anything for long. We need problems to tackle and common enemies to fight to give depth to our friendships, examples to take and performances to give to keep us learning and practicing, courses to teach and publication deadlines to keep us thinking. But all of these things are ultimately crutches and should be frankly regarded as such." (PANGLE, p. 164)

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