READING GROUP
SPRING 2025
Aristotle famously writes: “no one would choose to live without friends.”
The Bard recognizes that the most intense romance quickly can become war. In our own lives, just as in Sonnet 40, those we love, those who have “take[n] all our loves” have a singular ability to hurt us and thus become our enemy.
And yet, it seems people are lonelier than ever, especially young adults. By contrast, empirical research seems to confirm again and again the truth of Aristotle’s claim that humans are social by nature: we thrive within the context of genuine relationships, in the context of community, in the context of friendship. This reading group will explore what various thinkers, both ancient and contemporary, have had to say about the nature of friendship. The hope is that, in getting clearer about what friendship is and why it matters, we can be better equipped to seek it and extend it to others in our own lives.
Led by Dr. Victor Saenz
