Εὔνους

Aristotle says in the Topics:¹ [those] wishing to show² that the friend is not well-disposed, if 'well-disposed' means one thinking properly and thinking the truth and good things, but the friend does not think entirely properly.³ This topos has something persuasive and acceptable and dialectic to it, but is not something that is sound in respect to everything; for one who has a good sea is not called 'well-sea-ed' nor a person with a ready hand said to have handsome hands, but rather the boxer, nor is the magnanimous person the one having a great soul.⁴ Nor on this account is the good person divinely blessed in the sense of having the divinity already in himself.⁵ And the activity of a friend is preferable to that of a well-disposed person, and friendship is preferable to goodwill. The task of a friend is the doing of good towards a friend intentionally whereas the task of a 'well-minded' person is simply the intention (to do good generally). And since friendship is preferable to goodwill and the task of friendship preferable to that of goodwill and doing good to one's friends preferable to doing ill to one's enemies, then doing good to one’s friends is the task of a free person, [doing] ill to the enemies that of a brave person.