The politics and ethics of friendship in the ethics class

Abstract

Friendship is regarded to be an essential element of living a good life. In Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle (1983) reflects on the elements that make friendship a reliable and long-lasting relationship. His thoughts on friendship are considered authoritative sources that ground further discussion on friendship. Derrida recognises Aristotle’s contribution to understanding friendship as a political source for democratic relations, however, he deconstructs his foundational thoughts by identifying and transcending its limits. In ‘The Politics of Friendship’, Derrida (2005b) cracks open the nutshell of friendship to explore new ways that may be seen as “sheer madness” (p. 51) compared with traditional concepts that determine what and how friendship should be. Derrida’s concept of difference opens a discussion about the enemy-friend aporia and directs attention to actual possible unconditional encounters with the altogether different other. Drawing on Derrida’s thoughts, this study identifies key elements and issues related to friendship in the Ethics class and the teaching of Ethics in Maltese schools. Inspired by Derrida’s radically new approach to friendship and his concept of lovence, this thesis considers encounters between students within the Ethics class and beyond as essential experiences to teaching Ethics. These encounters help Ethics students develop their ethical character to welcome others non-violently, as singular and unique rather than part of a unified community. This study also considers the possibilities that Derridean friendship presents to the Ethics community of friends, its implications on democratic life and the pedagogical relevance of the teacher becoming a friend to the teaching of Ethics.