Three Forms of Friendship in the Market

Abstract

This article examines the possibility of friendship in commercial society. While the literature surrounding friendship in the market is growing, it has not adopted a common definition of friendship, and thus often addresses varying forms of friendship. To clarify this debate, we employ Aristotle’s three forms of friendship—utility, pleasure, and the highest form—which helps to analyze the viability of these different forms of friendships in the market. From our analysis, we argue that the lower forms of friendship (utility and pleasure) can and often do develop in the market, though the highest form of friendship is less likely but is still possible in the market. Using existing academic literature and novel survey evidence, we analyze the potential of each form of friendship in the market to understand how possible these friendships are within market spaces.

Rachael Behr LaRose and Virgil Henry Storr, "Three Forms of Friendship in the Market," Journal of Markets & Morality 26, no. 2 (2023): 153-179