He was the god of war, but most people would struggle to think of a single symbol that would identify him. In short, if a person, place, thing, etc has an “excess” or a “deficiency” of excellence, then it is not in its “most excellent” state, and thus the term arete does not describe this imbalanced state (although it could certainly describe striving back toward it). [citation needed], This story was later used by Christian writers, such as Methodius of Olympus, Justin Martyr, Clement of Alexandria, and Basil of Caesarea.

It is a word that means none of this specifically, but points to all of these highest states, because it is a term that hints at properties of enlightenment as they relate to any category.

Another way to describe arete, is “the potential for, and the pursuit of, excellence, the virtues, and goodness”. Arete was occasionally personified as a goddess, the sister of Homonoia (not to be confused with Harmonia), and the daughter of the goddess of justice, Praxidike. This article is about the philosophical concept.

The person of Arete is of the highest effectiveness; they use all their faculties—strength, bravery, and wit—to achieve real results. www.theoi.com.

For she of herself is no wise lacking in good understanding, and for the women to whom she has good will she makes an end of strife even among their husbands. If we are being “our best selves,” we are perfectly adhering to our predestined essence, and thus we are being “excellent,” this is the arete of the self. [5] Educating towards arete in this sense means that the boy would be educated towards things that are useful in life. In a previous post on the topic of mythos and logos, I discussed the evolution of ancient Greek thought from its origins in imaginative legends about gods to the development of reason, philosophy, and logic.Today, every educated human being knows about the … Descendants [] → Coptic: ⲁⲣⲉⲧⲏ (aretē) → English: arete Greek: αρετή (aretí) References []. Penelope's arete, for example, relates to co-operation, for which she is praised by Agamemnon. [citation needed].

It should be understood that the terms “moral” and “virtue” do not refer specifically to what is moral or virtuous in regards to religion or the state.

According to Bernard Knox's notes found in the Robert Fagles translation of The Odyssey, "arete" is also associated with the Greek word for "pray", araomai.

If the point of life is happiness, as the Greek philosophers generally thought, then arete is a catch-all word that describes being in-tune with one’s higher self, finding happiness through virtue, ethics, and morality. He says, "Nor is there even an agreement about what constitutes arete, something that leads logically to a disagreement about the appropriate training for arete. So then, arete is a superior virtue, the aristocracy of virtues.

TIP: Virtue is a different concept than evil or sin. The concept isn’t just to embrace these virtues in oneself, but to also understand others and help them embrace the virtues. As with many minor Greek deities, there is little or no real mythical background to Arete, who is used at most as a personification of virtue. Our site is not officially associated with any brand or government entity. He also applied the concept of arete to non-human objects discussing how even an apple or chimney could possess excellence.

It was commonly believed that the mind, body, and soul each had to be developed and prepared for a man to live a life of arete. ARISTOTLE’S NICOMACHEAN ETHICS /TABLE OF VIRTUES AND VICES (source), FACT: The concept of arete, and the stories of Homer and Plato, influenced Alexander the Great (who was tutored by Aristotle, and later a student of Plato). Other contenders are “quality” and “excellence”. This is just made more complex by the fact that it is an attempt to give name to “a highest thing” which is not directly tangible, and is instead a thing of metaphysics (and not just “a thing,” but arguably “a first virtue” that leads to a first “moral principle”). Learn more about virtue and vice. The meaning of arete changes depending on what it describes, as everything has its own particular arete, “essence,” “excellence,” or “Highest Good.”, The arete of a man is different from the arete of a horse, and they are both different than the arete of an apple, or the arete of a nation-state.[1]. On that note, we also don’t offer professional legal advice, tax advice, medical advice, etc. He was generally shown in a very basic way, with the armor and weapons of a common Greek … For the thin ridge of rock formed by glaciers, see, Homer. As the Tao puts it, “what is a good man but a bad man’s teacher”.
Despite the elusive definitions, we can say arete is often well translated to: “the aristocracy of virtues” (“the highest moral virtue which itself encompasses and implies all other virtues in their perfect state”), and it is in this sense that it can be understood by looking at Plato and Aristotle’s theories on “essence” and, including, importantly for this conversation, Aristotle’s theories on balancing vices and virtues (as explained below).[2]. Wikipedia. See our page on essentialism vs. existentialism. [7], In regards to the Iliad the way Homer describes Achilles is an example of Arete (187). If the soul is in perfect balance, then this is the arete of the soul. This means Arete functions as an external phenomenon depending on outside reception and acknowledgement for its instantiation (188). At a crossroads, Arete appeared to Heracles as a young maiden, and offered him glory and a life of struggle against evil; her counterpart Kakia (κακία, "badness"), offered him wealth and pleasure. When the Argonauts arrived at the island, Arete and her husband received them and Medea hospitably. In Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, "arete" is used mainly to describe heroes and nobles and their mobile dexterity, with special reference to strength and courage, but it is not limited to this. Excellence is in this sense analogous with Plato’s concept of justice and Aristotle’s mean theory. Or, it can be understood in terms of the Greatest Happiness theory, where the First Principle of moral philosophy in its “perfect” form is the arete of moral principles.

Any mention of a brand or other trademarked entity is for the purposes of education, entertainment, or parody. Plato’s arete is well described in his Republic where the conversation about the nature of justice and the ideal balance of the state and soul, along with nearly every metaphor in the book, all center around finding a perfect balance, an arete of state and soul. TIP: In some contexts, Arete is explicitly linked with human knowledge, where the expressions “virtue is knowledge” and “Arete is knowledge” are used interchangeably. In simple English terms, we can say arete describes “being one’s best self and living up to one’s full potential” (or the equivalent when discussing places, things, and other concepts). The only story involving Arete was originally told in the 5th century BC by the sophist Prodicus, and concerns the early life of the hero Heracles.

Arete was also depicted as an intelligent and generous hostess by Apollonius in Book 4 of the Argonautica, where he recounts the story of Jason and Medea. FACT: The phrase “the pursuit of happiness” is closely related to “the pursuit of excellence”.

Below are some different ways to understand arete. Plato considered arete an underlying virtue that superseded courage, temperance, justice, and other virtues related to “goodness” and ethics or ethos.

To the Greeks “justice”/”balance”/”moderation” is a virtue beyond all other virtues. FACT: Arete is loosely related to the Greek word aristos, which is the root of the word aristocracy, referring to that with superiority and nobility. Wikimedia Foundation, 22 June 2013. Greek alphabet letters & symbols.

The usage is pretty easy, you can basically type the name of the letter and put a backslash in front of it.

Aristotle specifically points to political science as the means which through moral virtue is manifested on a collective level.
Or, in terms of moral theory, “the aristocracy of virtues” works well.

In the Odyssey, Arete appears as a noble and active superintendent of the household of her husband. To cut perfectly is the arete of the knife (the art of a knife is to cut perfectly, the quality of a knife in its highest state is the ability to cut perfectly). TIP: With this in mind, Plato’s Republic is all about the arete of the state and soul. So for a very general example (from Aristotle’ mean theory from his Nicomachean Ethics): Thus, arete isn’t just having as much of a good thing as possible, or avoiding a bad thing. Plato attempted to produce a moral philosophy that incorporated this new usage, but it was in the work of Aristotle that the doctrine of arete found its fullest flowering.

Aristotle describes political science the ultimate technology with which to spread virtue[3] and the concept of rhetoric as a tool to achieve this. [2], The Ancient Greeks applied the term to anything: for example, the excellence of a chimney, the excellence of a bull for breeding, and the excellence of a man. It referred to “a young hero’s responsibility – their moral imperative,” the acquisition and mastery of intellectual and physical skills from elders in defense of the state (where the state represents that which is worth defending). 1996, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Greek Philosophy: The Allegory of the Cave, The Divided Line, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arete&oldid=968409922, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence (, "O father Zeus, give honor to this hymn for a victor at Olympia, and to his now famous, Arete is the name of a key protagonist in. TIP: The term can be stylized as Arête, Areté, or Arete. Or it can be understood as virtue theory, where the highest virtue is the arete of virtues (which can be called “true justice“). Arete as a moral term doesn’t just mean striving toward excellence, it means avoiding vices (deficiencies and excesses of virtue) and helping others to do the same (as that is a fulfillment of grand purpose).

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