Exploring philosophical approaches to friendship from Aristotle to Derrida, Sandra Lynch considers ideals of intimacy as well as the claims that such ideals are unrealistic and even dangerous. Cicero's skepticism about friendship in the public realm is compared to the Aristotelian view of friendship as a genuine political bond. Lynch also discusses Derrida's exploration of Aristotle's alleged and provocative announcement "O my friends, there is no friend." Tensions between the self and the other, love and respect, identity and difference are closely examined as well.