Professor Preston King, a former American exile, of England's University of Lancaster spoke on the "Decline of Friendship in Modernity," Tuesday in Dartmouth Hall.
King recently returned to America from a 39-year exile, after being pardoned by President Clinton for draft evasion -- a charge against the African-American scholar that King claimed was racially motivated.
King, the 1999-2000 Wilson Lecturer, summarized his current writing project , a four-volume work that argues that ancient cultures used friendship as the main ideal in organizing societies.
King said historical eras are not defined by "temporal makers," such as the end of a century or millennium, but by different philosophies.
The modern world is defined by a focus on liberty and sciences, but the ancient world focused greatly on friendship, King said.
Evidence is found in the literary works of the time, King said, such as those by Thebes, Socrates, Plato and Cicero. He claims that the concept of friendship is pervasive and is even used by those who criticize it, such as in the conflict of friendship versus citizenship.
King discussed some of these literary works, showing how betrayal was considered a heinous crime, since it was a degradation of the concept of friendship. He also gave many examples of friends, such as Castor and Pollux -- people who depended on each other and surrendered to the good of the other.
King also said friendship was not considered to be the property of an individual but a social relationship, and that the concept of society as a collection of individuals was not created until much later.
He discussed the Aristotelean view that society is a function of combinations, based upon friendship. King said it is not that everybody is a friend to everybody else, but through friendships, people are tied to one another.
Over time the theme of friendship became less common and eventually died out in literature, King said. But he questions whether this simply was an omission or was in fact opposition to the idea.
King stated that friendship at the base of society is feared by those in control, since obligation to a friend may take precedence over obligation to society.
He also mentioned that the emphasis on friendship declined as more of a focus is placed on individualism and liberty. King said that the current view of society is that we must focus on the self and the understanding of the self.
King warned that the current focus on individualism and liberties may not be enough, and that as we find the limits of individualism we may find helpful ideas in the ancient ideal of friendship.
King fled the country after he refused to follow his local draft board's order, claiming racial discrimination, when he was a 25-year-old doctoral student.
King has taught around the world after receiving his master's and doctoral degrees from the London School of Economics. He received his undergraduate degree from Fisk University, which also granted him an honorary doctorate.
His daughter, Oona, is a member of the British Parliament.
The Arthur Wilson lecture series is sponsored by the Department of Government.
