Friendship and democracy
a systematic review of the literature based on Aristotle and C. S. Lewis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12662/2447-6641oj.v23i42.p149-169.2025Keywords:
friendship, democracy, Aristotle, C. S. Lewis, systematic reviewAbstract
Background: This article investigates whether the philosophical perspectives adopted by Aristotle and Clive Staples Lewis, regarding friendship and its impact on Man's insertion into the political community, have been discussed in the scholastic world. Aristotle, in Nicomachean Ethics, and C. S. Lewis, in The Four Loves, saw friendship as an important factor for human flourishing and highlighted, with different approaches, its relationship with Man's insertion into the political community. Aristotle emphasized the value of friendship for social cohesion. C. S. Lewis, on the other hand, highlighted its disaggregating potential, since friendship selects and excludes.
Objective: To investigate whether and to what extent the discussion between the philosophical perspectives adopted by Aristotle and C. S. Lewis, regarding friendship and its impact on Man's insertion into the political community, has been carried out in the scholastic world, as well as to gather and summarize the existing evidence and to identify gaps.
Method: This is a systematic review of the literature in the main academic databases, without date or language restrictions, supported by the Systematic Search Flow method.
Results: The documentary evidence derived from the systematic literature review reveals that: (i) pieces of research discuss friendship and democracy without, however, establishing a correlation between philosophers, nor a confrontation between their ideas; (ii) friendship is often observed in the dimension of interpersonal relationships; (iii) Brazil is not among the countries that research the intersection between friendship and democracy from a philosophical perspective. The results show that the discussions held in the scholastic world do not approach, except in a very indirect way, the philosophical perspectives adopted by Aristotle and C. S. Lewis, with regard to friendship and its reflection on the insertion of Man in the political community. Such gaps open space for future research in Brazil and worldwide, while fulfilling the purpose of stimulating ethical-political reflection of greater richness and judiciousness in future research.
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