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Friendship--An Introduction

[Mangasaryan/Patker/Still Pictures]

Interdependence and cooperation are literally facts of life. All that lives is bound to other living beings through the need to share the finite resources of a given environment. Networks of conscious cooperation, facilitated largely through language, are said to have played an especially prominent role in human survival to date.

What distinguishes friendship among our myriad social relations is that it is "technically" not necessary. Yet it is a vital factor in the well-being of individuals and the smooth functioning of businesses, communities and even the conduct of international relations. While the elective nature of friendship may vary by culture, friendship is still, compared to our other myriad human relations, centrally distinguished by choice. Friendship grows from the simple sense of liking a person, wanting to share their company and desiring their happiness. In its ideal form, friendship is free from all calculation and requires nothing in return beyond the opportunity to express itself.

The mystery and beauty of friendship has been the subject of song and verse, as well as the more structured explorations of philosophers, since ancient times. In this issue, contributors share their approaches to friendship and its significance--from the intimate space of the purely personal to the questions of international war and peace.

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