Abstract
“A dog is man’s best friend” is a well-known and widely used phrase, but are we right in thinking that dogs are our friends? If so, do we owe our dogs what we owe our friends? Aristotle recognized three different kinds of friends: friends of utility, friends of pleasure, and friends of virtue. I suggest that dogs can meet the conditions necessary for entering into the first two kinds of friendship, but that there is a potential moral hazard in thinking about our relationship with dogs in these terms. It is unclear whether dogs can meet the more stringent conditions necessary to enter friendships of virtue. Furthermore, the moral responsibilities that animal companion caregivers take on appear to be different than those of friendship. For these reasons, I challenge the notion that a neo-Aristotelian conception of friendship best captures the relationship we have with dogs.
Recommended Citation
Sigsbee, Dustin
(2025)
"Neo-Aristotelian Friendship and Non-Human Animals: Can I be Friends with My Dog?,"
Between the Species:
Vol. 28:
Iss.
1, Article 5.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/bts/vol28/iss1/5