Aristotle held friendship, not justice, to be the bond of the state.

Evidence

Aristotle suggests that faction is enmity, that is to say, it is what lawgivers “are most anxious to banish.” On the other hand, Aristotle writes, “friendship,” philia, “appears to be the bond of the state; and lawgivers seem to set more store by it than they do by justice, for to promote concord,” homonoia, “which seems akin to friendship, is their chief aim, while faction,” stasis, “which is enmity,” echthra, “is what they are most anxious to banish. And if men are friends, there is no need of justice between them.” — Gil Anidjar, The Jew, the Arab, 384 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Aristotle made friendship the bond of the state and enmity its chief danger — Gil Anidjar, The Jew, the Arab: A History of the…, 384; Aristotle and Herodotus treated enmity and friendship as criteria for judging regimes; Ancient Greek politics operated primarily through friendship and enmity — Gil Anidjar, The Jew, the Arab: A History of the…, 384 (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• Aristotle made friendship the bond of the state and enmity its chief danger #corroborates (0.97) — Gil Anidjar, The Jew, the Arab, 384