What kind of friends were Musk and Trump?

Aristotle tells us exactly what.

In my next book, I write about Aristotle’s theory of philos, the moral obligation that friends and family have to one another. I used it to find ways to get along with my own Aristotelian soul. But Aristotle can also offer insight into why a pair of self-absorbed men can possibly become friends in the first place.

Ever the rhetorical taxonomist, the philosopher split friendship into three kinds.

Friendship from utility.

Think political allies, or business partners, or an arranged royal marriage. You become friends to gain a mutual benefit. Your own relationship with your soul may have a degree of utility; after all, you want it to help you make something of your life. Nothing wrong with that. But utility rarely conveys the impression of eunoia, the selfless part of a worthy ethos. And when that friendship becomes less useful, it often disappears.

Yeah, I just gave this whole post away.

Friendship from pleasure.

A bit higher on the friendship scale from utility. Aristotle wrote that we tend to like people who have a ready wit or a pleasant demeanor, even if their characters lack much moral fiber. Scamps can make great bar mates. While you can have a good time with them at a weekend or reunion, you wouldn’t want to live with that kind of person. Marriages that originate in pure pleasure tend to end in divorce. This kind of friendship does not lead to harmony with your soul. Pleasure has to do with wants; your soul is all about what you really need.

“Perfect” friendship.

Aristotle believed that the best friendship is a “perfect” one, where two equals want the best for each other.

A transactional, utilitarian friendship rarely lasts. But a friendship where each party would sacrifice for the other has the potential to last forever.

Trump/Musk obviously slots into the utility friendship. Trump/Epstein? Pleasure, surely. Pure youth-loving pleaure.