本論文從友誼在古今論述中之地位差異出發，先綜覽西方當代有大幅進展之友誼研究成果，尤其集中於兩位有特殊貢獻之學者，即布睿與希佛的主要研究發明，並將之對比參照以勾勒西方友誼之大歷史，同時也對現代性與現代的友誼狀況有所說明。論文的第二部分則關注歷來友誼論述與實踐最引人興味之處，即友誼之平等主義意含及其在傳統上所具有的政治挑戰效果，乃至後來被吸納為現代國族主義民主之主流意識形態，也即德希德《友愛政治》一書加以解構之由。第三部分將焦點轉回我們所處身之中文語境，探討中國家族宗法社會對於友誼歷來的懷疑看法以及晚期（晚明）進步知識份子的顛覆挪用（包括西方友論透過利瑪竇之引進），後來卻在現代西化的外來語境中直接越過。最後一部分由當代友誼與同性戀之糾結出發，透過福寇「友誼做為一種生活方式」的提法，試探性地提出在當代狀況中友誼仍可能具有之進步潛能。

This essay starts with a general survey of contemporary occidental friendship studies in its present condition by focusing in particular on two scholars with major contributions to the field, namely Alan Bray and Allan Silver, whose works are then juxtaposed in a “debate” for the purpose of mapping out the macro-history of occidental friendship as well as throwing a new light on modernity from this perspective. The second part foregrounds one of the most intriguing aspects of friendship either as practice or discourse, i.e. the egalitarian politics of friendship that has posed as a challenge to the established order before it is adopted as the dominant ideology of modern nationalist democracy (which is why Jacques Derrida deconstructs it in his Politics of Friendship). The third part turns to explore the “suspicious” status of friendship in the traditional, family-centered Chinese context, friendship’s subversive use in this regard in the late imperial times (late Ming), and its oblivion in the modern process of modernization. The fourth as well as the last part concludes the essay with a tentative exposition of the continuing progressive potential of friendship “as a way of life,” based on its modern conflation with homosexuality.