w88 casino News (provided by the w88 casino of Literature and International Communication)In order to broaden students' academic horizons and cultural understanding, on October 16, 2025, the w88 casino of Literature and International Communication specially invited Prof. Ioannis Kalogerakos, Professor of Ancient Greek Philosophy at the Department of Philosophy of the National University of Athens and Kapodistria, Greece (referred to as the University of Athens, University of Athens), to give a lecture on "The Dialogue Crossing Two Civilizations: Confucius and Aristotle's Friendship: Friendship in Confucius and Aristotle)”. Zhao Hua, a teacher at the w88 casino of Literature and International Communication, served as a translator to assist with bilingual communication.

Professor Ioannis Kalogerakos took "Confucius and Aristotle's views on friendship" as the core and combined with classic works such as The Analects and Nicomachean Ethics to systematically compare the philosophical thoughts on friendship between Confucius and Aristotle. He said that despite being in different civilizations, both Confucius and Aristotle regarded friendship as a necessary element of human life and an important force for personal perfection and social harmony.

When interpreting Confucius’s view of friendship,Ioannis KalogerakosQuoting the Analects of Confucius, it means that his idea of "benevolence" is centered on "loving others", and friends are regarded as mirrors of self-moral perfection. He explained the friend selection criteria of "Three Friends Who Benefit", that is, choosing friends should choose people who are upright, honest and knowledgeable. He also emphasized that Confucius's view of friendship is deeply rooted in family ethics and social relations, and has strong practicality.

Talk about Aristotle’s theory of friendship,Ioannis KalogerakosThe three types of friendship proposed in "Nicomachean Ethics" are sorted out in detail: friendship based on "usefulness", friendship based on "pleasure" and friendship based on "virtue". He explained that the first two kinds of friendship are easy to collapse due to the disappearance of interests or changes in taste, while the friendship based on virtue is long-lasting and noble. It requires that both parties have equal moral character, promote each other, and seek the best together. This is true friendship in the eyes of Aristotle. He specifically pointed out that Aristotle did not deny the value of the first two friendships, but emphasized the need to clearly understand their essence and avoid misunderstandings and contradictions.

Comparing the two, Ioannis Kalogerakos believes that Confucius paid more attention to the function and practical wisdom of friendship in social ethics, while Aristotle focused on friendship as the internal condition for individuals to achieve happiness. Although the two paths are different, they both point to the ideal state where friendship and virtue complement each other.

In the subsequent interactive question and answer session, teachers and students had an in-depth discussion with Ioannis Kalogerakos around the lecture content and real-life confusion. He said: "Although the environment in which we live is different from that of the ancients, as human beings we have the same needs, emotions and expressions. The key difference lies in the external environment, not human nature itself." He believes that self-cultivation is fundamental no matter what culture or era background. Therefore, learning from the ancient wisdom of the East and the West and drawing nutrients from it are still necessary to deal with modern challenges. Only equal and virtuous friends can make people "better together".

By comparing the views on friendship between Confucius and Aristotle, this lecture not only allowed teachers and students to deeply understand the profound interpretation of "friendship" in ancient Eastern and Western philosophy, but also inspired everyone to rethink "what is a valuable interpersonal relationship" in the utilitarian modern society. At the same time, as a scholar of comparative studies of Chinese and Greek civilizations, Ioannis Kalogerakos's sharing also built an important bridge for cultural exchanges between the East and the West, allowing teachers and students to see the common pursuit of "virtue" and "harmony" by different civilizations, broadening academic horizons and cultural understanding.

Ioannis Kalogerakos, Professor of Ancient Greek Philosophy at the Department of Philosophy, University of Athens, Greece, specializing in ancient Greek philosophy, modern Greek philosophy and ancient Chinese philosophy. He has engaged in research work at many prestigious European universities such as the University of Cologne, the University of Bonn, and the University of Heidelberg. He has written important academic monographs such as "Soul and Immortality" and is an important scholar in the comparative study of Chinese and Greek civilizations. The University of Athens where he works was founded in 1837. It is the oldest and most prestigious institution in Greece and has cultivated many talents for philosophical research in Greece and even Europe. (Written by: Chen Jiameng, Xi Jiale, Photography: Xi Jiale, Reviewer: Qu Jiawen)