How to Be a Good Friend, According to Cicero

Hint: it involves not being another C-word

You’ve got a friend in me. You’re my best friend. Friends…. the TV show.

Pop culture is littered with references to friendship, because after all, along with family and choice of romantic partner, friendships are probably the most important relationships we have.

But it’s not just pop culture that has meditated on this fact.

Philosophers since ancient times have recognised the importance of friendship to a good life.

From Plato to Nozick, friendship has fascinated philosophers because of its enduring and integral part in the lives of, well, everyone.

But one particular philosopher really did the heavy work on this business we call friendship, and that’s Cicero.

In his authoritative tome on the subject, De Amicitia, Cicero really digs into what it means to be a friend, why we seek friendship, and how it works.

And along the way, he provides us with a pretty good guide as to how to be a good friend — that’s as relevant now as it was in his day.

In fact, I think friendship is perhaps one of the most important topics we can be thinking about right now.