Final answer:
Friendship based on virtue and good character is rare as it requires deep mutual recognition of virtuous qualities and a substantial investment of resources, making it difficult to have such relationships with many people.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question revolves around the concept of friendship based on virtue and good character and why it is difficult to have such friendships with many people.
According to Aristotle, a friendship based on virtue, or perfect friendship, is one where mutual benevolence exists purely for each other's sake, not motivated by utility or pleasure.
Such friendships contribute to our virtuous development and happiness since we wish our friends well for their own sake, seeing a true friend as another self.
Aristotle believes that perfect friendships are rare and cannot be formed with many people because they require a deep and mutual recognition and appreciation of the virtuous qualities in each other, which is not a common occurrence.
Perfect friendships allow individuals to grow and develop, and this happens through our associations with good people who challenge us and with whom we can share joy and virtue.
These friendships involve a substantial investment of emotional, intellectual, and sometimes practical resources and, therefore, tend to be limited in number. This also ties into the important role of community and the ways social relations contribute to the flourishing of the individual and the collective.
However, the relational aspect of virtue emphasizes understanding complex social practices and relationships, which is essential for acting virtuously.