More than Justice: “Friendship” in Phenomenology and Mysticism (Erfan )

In his Nichomachean ethics , Aristotle has introduced “Friendship” (philia ) as a civic virtue which is higher than justice. After Aristotle, Latin and Iranian thinkers articulated the notions “Amiticia ” and “Dusti ” as equivalent to Aristotel’s philia . In modern, times, however, while justice was regarded as legal system which protects individual rights, “Friendship” was reduced to a personal concern and was confined to private sphere of life. In recent times, once again “Friendship” has entered the intellectual melieu both in Iranian and German culture. In this paper, three models of Friendship, namely Phronetic, Erfanic (Mystical), and Phenomenological, are analysed. Also, according to what these models pertain to, it is suggested that actually Civic Convergence, which is the precondition for civil life, can be brought about by Friendship more than by Justice.