On the So-called Focal Analysis of Friendship in Eudemian Ethics VII.2

Abstract Aristotle is believed to have introduced the focal meaning of friendship in Eudemian Ethics VII.2 and then to have formulated it more generally in Metaphysics Γ.2. Bonitz’s unjustifiable emendation of the text underscores these interpretations. This paper therefore reads the MSS and supposes that the EE passage introduces a wider focal meaning based on the theory presented in the Categories , one that does not imply referential relationships between the primary and secondary terms. This wider focal meaning can help explain disputed terms in practical philosophy, such as “friendship” and “like-mindedness,” without invoking the Form of the Good.