Book 9 / Chapter 7
Paragraph 1 - The Paradox of Benefactors and Beneficiaries
Explanation - Part By Part
"Benefactors are thought to love those they have benefited, more than those who have been well treated love those that have treated them well, and this is discussed as though it were paradoxical."
Aristotle begins by highlighting a curious idea: benefactors—those who do good for others—tend to care more for those they help than the recipients of their help care for them. At first glance, this seems strange or even contradictory (a paradox), because you might expect that the person receiving kindness or generosity would feel more gratitude and attachment than the person who gave.
"Most people think it is because the latter are in the position of debtors and the former of creditors; and therefore as, in the case of loans, debtors wish their creditors did not exist, while creditors actually take care of the safety of their debtors, so it is thought that benefactors wish the objects of their action to exist since they will then get their gratitude, while the beneficiaries take no interest in making this return."
Aristotle discusses a dynamic that feels familiar even today: benefactors (those who do good for others) often seem to care more about the people they’ve helped than the recipients of their help care for the benefactors. People try to explain this by comparing it to the relationship between debtors and creditors. A debtor (someone who owes money) might resent or wish their creditor (the one who loaned the money) didn’t exist because the debt is a burden. On the flip side, creditors are invested in ensuring the well-being of their debtors because they want their money returned. Applying this analogy, people suggest that benefactors care about their beneficiaries because they expect gratitude or acknowledgment for their good deeds. The beneficiaries, however, often don't feel as invested, as they don’t perceive any urgent need to "repay" the kindness. Essentially, people tend to see these relationships through a lens that reflects their self-interest and forget the deeper, more human ties involved.
"Epicharmus would perhaps declare that they say this because they 'look at things on their bad side', but it is quite like human nature; for most people are forgetful, and are more anxious to be well treated than to treat others well."
In this part, Aristotle uses a humorous remark, attributed to the playwright Epicharmus, to highlight a common trait of human nature: people tend to focus on the negative or selfish aspects of situations. He points out that most people are naturally more concerned with receiving good treatment from others than with giving it themselves. This observation reveals a tendency toward self-interest and a lack of attentiveness to reciprocity or gratitude, which Aristotle acknowledges as a general flaw in human behavior.
"But the cause would seem to be more deeply rooted in the nature of things; the case of those who have lent money is not even analogous."
Aristotle is pointing out that the relationship between a benefactor (someone who gives or helps) and a beneficiary (someone who receives that help) is fundamentally different from the relationship between a creditor (someone who lends money) and a debtor (someone who owes money). He argues that comparing these two dynamics is misleading because their motivations and emotional bonds are not the same.
When someone helps another person (a benefactor), they often do so out of a sense of care, love, or goodwill. This creates an emotional connection. They feel affection toward the person they helped, much like how a creator feels pride and love for their own work. On the other hand, a creditor doesn't "love" the debtor—they are only interested in ensuring the debt is repaid. The creditor focuses purely on the transactional nature of the relationship, not on any personal bond.
In short, Aristotle is saying that the love or care a benefactor feels for the person they've helped comes from a more profound, natural source, tied to the way humans value their actions and creations. This is not the same as the kind of impersonal concern a creditor has for ensuring repayment.
"For they have no friendly feeling to their debtors, but only a wish that they may kept safe with a view to what is to be got from them; while those who have done a service to others feel friendship and love for those they have served even if these are not of any use to them and never will be."
This part is pointing out a difference in the motivations and emotions people feel in two situations: lending money versus genuinely helping or benefiting someone. In the case of lending money, the creditor (the one who lends) does not necessarily have any personal or warm feelings toward the debtor (the one who borrows). The creditor’s interest is purely practical—they want the debtor to stay safe or financially capable only so they can eventually recover what they are owed. There's no deeper personal connection here.
On the other hand, when someone helps or benefits another person—not for repayment but out of generosity—they tend to develop a bond or affection for the person they've helped. Interestingly, this feeling of attachment happens even if the person they helped doesn’t repay the favor or offer any future benefit in return. This shows that the act of helping itself—creating something good or meaningful in someone else's life—can forge a deeper emotional connection for the benefactor (the helper) than a purely transactional relationship could ever achieve.
"This is what happens with craftsmen too; every man loves his own handiwork better than he would be loved by it if it came alive; and this happens perhaps most of all with poets; for they have an excessive love for their own poems, doting on them as if they were their children."
Aristotle is making a relatable comparison here to illustrate why benefactors—those who help others—often feel a deep love or attachment toward the people they’ve helped. He points out that this is similar to how craftsmen feel about the things they create. A craftsman naturally has great affection for their own work, perhaps more than the work itself would ever "love" them back if it were somehow alive. Poets, in particular, are an extreme case of this—they become deeply attached to their poems, treating them almost with the care and pride one would have for their own children.
This emphasizes the idea that creators (or, in this case, benefactors) form a bond with what they put effort, care, and energy into. That bond is rooted in their sense of having poured a part of themselves into what they’ve made or the benefits they’ve given. It’s not about receiving something in return but about the connection to what they’ve brought into the world through their actions.
"This is what the position of benefactors is like; for that which they have treated well is their handiwork, and therefore they love this more than the handiwork does its maker."
Aristotle is comparing benefactors—those who do good for others—to creators or craftsmen. He’s saying that benefactors view the people they help as their "handiwork." Just as a creator feels a deep attachment to what they’ve made, benefactors feel a strong sense of love or care for those they’ve helped. However, this relationship is unequal: the "handiwork" (or the person who receives the help) does not inherently love or care for the maker (the benefactor) in return to the same degree. The benefactor’s love stems from the pride or emotional connection they feel in having contributed to another’s well-being, much like an artist cherishes their creation.
"The cause of this is that existence is to all men a thing to be chosen and loved, and that we exist by virtue of activity (i.e. by living and acting), and that the handiwork is in a sense, the producer in activity; he loves his handiwork, therefore, because he loves existence."
Aristotle is making a profound point here: for human beings, existence—simply being alive and present in the world—is something deeply valuable and instinctively cherished. However, we don't merely exist passively; our existence is bound up with activity—what we do, create, and achieve. It's through our actions and efforts that we express who we are and actualize our potential.
Now, when someone creates or produces something—whether it's a physical object, a piece of art, or even helping another person—they can see a reflection of their own effort, energy, and essence in that creation. In a sense, the creator "comes to life" through their work, such that the product of their labor becomes not just something external but a part of their identity and existence. This is why creators, or in this case benefactors, feel a special affection for what they've made or helped. By loving their "handiwork," they are ultimately affirming their own life, activity, and being. It's as if to love what you produce is to love the part of yourself that made it possible.
"And this is rooted in the nature of things; for what he is in potentiality, his handiwork manifests in activity."
Aristotle is pointing out something fundamental about human nature and the relationship between creation and identity. When he says "what he is in potentiality, his handiwork manifests in activity," he's emphasizing that a person's creations (whether that's physical work, art, or even acts of kindness) embody their inner potential being realized in the world.
In modern terms, it's like saying that when we create something—whether that’s writing a book, building a piece of furniture, or helping someone in need—it reflects what was inside of us, our abilities, intentions, or aspirations, becoming realized through action. It's an external expression of who we are. Because of this, people often feel a deep connection and love for what they create; it’s a part of them made tangible in the world. This ties back to the earlier point that benefactors love the people they help, not just for what those people might "return," but because the act of helping is the benefactor's "creation," a piece of themselves brought into reality through action.