Friendship and self-love through the transformed self

Abstract

Despite current discussions about the nature of friendship and what it entails, little has been said on the necessary process that individuals must undergo before they can be eligible for genuine friendships. It is often assumed that if we loved ourselves, we would love our friends the same way. While Aristotle implied self-love to be one of the important foundations of virtuous, genuine friendships, little has been said about the actual process of cultivating self-love and how it links to one’s capabilities of loving and form a true friendship. The link has often been assumed. In this thesis, I explore the process of self-love which underlies one’s desire for autonomy, and in turn deepening one’s capacity for genuine friendships.