What is friendship, and can it exist among bad men?

Translation: quotations from Cicero are quoted in C. D. Yonge's 1853 English translation; quoted in Charles Duke Yonge's 1851-52 English translation; quoted in Andrew P. Peabody's 1883-87 English translation; quoted in Melmoth's 1753 and Shuckburgh's 1899 English translations, not his original words.

1. WHAT HE SAID (the record)

Record ledger

• BELIEF (undated; quoted in C. D. Yonge's 1853 English translation): Cicero believes that friendship is closely tied to pleasure and cannot exist among bad men, as it requires mutual affection and the pursuit of shared pleasure. He argues that friendship strengthens the mind and is essential for a happy life, and that it is only possible when people love their friends and themselves equally. "And as we cannot possibly maintain a lasting and continued happiness of life without friendship, nor maintain friendship itself unless we love our friends and ourselves equally..." [1]
• BELIEF (undated; quoted in Charles Duke Yonge's 1851-52 English translation): Cicero believes that friendship cannot exist among bad men, as he criticizes those who associate with Verres, suggesting that only the virtuous can be true friends. "You are fond of Verres: I suppose so. If you are not gratified with his virtue, and his innocence, and his industry, and his modesty, and his chastity, at least you are transported at his conversation, his accomplishments, and his high breeding." [2]
• BELIEF (undated; quoted in Charles Duke Yonge's 1851-52 English translation): Cicero believes that friendship can exist among bad men, as he describes a man who was able to 'embrace many men in his friendship' and 'retain the friendship of many gallant and virtuous men' despite his vices and wickedness. (key quote above) [3]
• BELIEF (undated; quoted in Andrew P. Peabody's 1883-87 English translation): Cicero believes that friendship can exist only between good men. He argues that while philosophers may define wisdom narrowly, friendship should be based on qualities found in common life, not just theoretical wisdom. (key quote above) [4]
• BELIEF (undated; quoted in Andrew P. Peabody's 1883-87 English translation): Cicero believes that true friendship is rare, especially among those in public office, because most people prioritize ambition, honors, and power over friendship. He argues that few can be found who would prefer a friend's promotion to their own or who would not put ambition before friendship. "Thus true friendships are rare among those who are in public office, and concerned in the affairs of the State." [5]
• BELIEF (undated; quoted in Melmoth's 1753 and Shuckburgh's 1899 English translations): Cicero believes that friendship is something richer and more generous than a narrow, balanced exchange of good offices, and that it should not be on guard against giving more than it receives. He argues that true friendship is not measured by an exact balance of favors, but by a more liberal and generous spirit. "True friendship appears to me to be something richer and more generous than that comes to; and not to be so narrowly on its guard against giving more than it receives." [6]
• BELIEF (undated; quoted in Melmoth's 1753 and Shuckburgh's 1899 English translations): Cicero believes that friendship can only exist between good men, though he acknowledges the difficulty in defining 'good' strictly as 'wise' since no mortal has ever attained that ideal. He argues that practical considerations should take precedence over philosophical precision. "I must at the very beginning lay down this principle—friendship can only exist between good men." [7]
• BELIEF (undated; quoted in Andrew P. Peabody's 1883-87 English translation): Cicero believes that friendship is most firmly established when it is cemented by resemblance in character, and that it is most pleasant in such cases. He implies that friendship cannot exist among bad men, as it is rooted in shared virtuous desires and purposes. "For the reasons indicated we owe chiefly to these that I have named the necessary protection of daily life; but companionship, conviviality, counsel, conversation, advice, consolation, sometimes reproof also, have their most fruitful soil in friendship, and that is the most pleasant friendship which is cemented by resemblance in character." [8]

What cuts against it

• The contrary-evidence entries are already in the record ledger above: [2], [3].

2. HOW IT APPLIES (reasoning; inference is marked)

1. Cicero defines friendship as mutual affection and shared virtue, rooted in nature rather than need. "Friendship, therefore, springs from nature rather than from need..." [9] (quoted in Andrew P. Peabody's 1883-87 English translation)

2. He argues that friendship cannot exist among bad men, as it requires virtue and genuine love. "Friendship can exist only between good men." [4] (quoted in Andrew P. Peabody's 1883-87 English translation)

3. However, Cicero acknowledges that people may form friendships with those who are not virtuous, as seen in his criticism of those who associate with Verres. "You are fond of Verres..." [2] (quoted in Charles Duke Yonge's 1851-52 English translation)

4. He also describes a man who retained the friendship of virtuous men despite his vices, suggesting that friendship can exist among bad men. "he was able to embrace many men in his friendship..." [3] (quoted in Charles Duke Yonge's 1851-52 English translation)

5. This creates a tension between his ideal of friendship as virtuous and his recognition of its existence among the wicked, which he attributes to superficial qualities or practical considerations. (Inference)

3. HIS TAKE

Record coverage: PARTIAL

The record is silent on whether Cicero believed that friendships among bad men could be *true* or merely superficial, and whether he saw such friendships as exceptions or as evidence that his ideal was impractical.

Extrapolation: Cicero likely believed that true friendship, as he defined it, could not exist among bad men, but he recognized that people often formed attachments based on utility, flattery, or shared vices. He saw these as inferior to the ideal of mutual virtue.

Competing readings: One reading is that Cicero's ideal of friendship is aspirational, and he acknowledged its rarity. Another is that his practical observations suggest he saw many friendships as flawed or inauthentic. The record supports both readings.

Confidence: Moderate. The passages show a clear ideal but also practical concessions, with no explicit resolution of the tension.