Type of Work
Research Paper
Publication Date
Summer 8-14-2020
Description
We take our friends to be different from others. Unlike the people we pass while walking or acquaintances we have from our work, our friends carry a special sort of value to us. That is to say, we are partial to our friends. This much is seen regularly – maybe when we help our friend who is struggling with work as opposed to any other co-worker. But, what sort of theory supports this claim to partiality? In this paper I will outline a number of accounts, all of which attempt to explain our partiality. I will argue that each of these accounts is lacking and then give my own account of partiality. A distinctly virtue ethical theory of partiality will prove to be best so far as it positively maps onto our intuitions of friendship (especially as a moral phenomenon).
Hamilton Areas of Study
Philosophy
Hamilton Sponsoring Organization
Levitt Public Affairs Center
Hamilton Scholarship Series
Levitt Summer Research Fellowship
Hamilton Faculty Advisor
Justin Clark