Arete

For other uses, see Arete (disambiguation).For The equivalent Vedic concept, see Ṛta.Arete (/ˈærətiː/; Greek: ἀρετή), in its basic sense, means

Statue of Arete in Celsus’ Library in Ephesus

“excellence of any kind”.[1] The term may also mean“moral virtue”.[1] In its earliest appearance in Greek, thisnotion of excellence was ultimately bound up with the no-tion of the fulfillment of purpose or function: the act ofliving up to one’s full potential.The term from Homeric times onwards is not gender spe-cific. Homer applies the term of both the Greek andTrojan heroes as well as major female figures, such as

Penelope, the wife of the Greek hero Odysseus. In theHomeric poems, Arete is frequently associated with brav-ery, but more often with effectiveness. The man orwoman of Arete is a person of the highest effectiveness;they use all their faculties--strength, bravery and wit--toachieve real results. In the Homeric world, then, Areteinvolves all of the abilities and potentialities available tohumans. The concept implies a human-centered universein which human actions are of paramount importance;the world is a place of conflict and difficulty, and humanvalue and meaning is measured against individual effec-tiveness in the world.In some contexts, Arete is explicitly linked with humanknowledge, where the expressions “virtue is knowledge”and “Arete is knowledge” are used interchangeably. Thehighest human potential is knowledge and all other hu-man abilities are derived from this central capacity. IfArete is knowledge and study, the highest human knowl-edge is knowledge about knowledge itself; in this light,the theoretical study of human knowledge, which Aris-totle called “contemplation,” is the highest human abilityand happiness.”[2]

1 History

The Ancient Greeks applied the term to anything: for ex-ample, the excellence of a chimney, the excellence of abull to be bred and the excellence of a man. The meaningof the word changes depending on what it describes, sinceeverything has its own peculiar excellence; the arete of aman is different from the arete of a horse. This way ofthinking comes first from Plato, where it can be seen inthe Allegory of the Cave.[3] In particular, the aristocraticclass was presumed, essentially by definition, to be ex-emplary of arete: “The root of the word is the same asaristos, the word which shows superlative ability and su-periority, and “aristos” was constantly used in the pluralto denote the nobility.”[4]

By the 5th and 4th centuries BC, arete as applied tomen had developed to include quieter virtues, such asdikaiosyne (justice) and sophrosyne (self-restraint). Platoattempted to produce a moral philosophy that incorpo-rated this new usage,[5] but it was in the work of Aristotlethat the doctrine of arete found its fullest flowering. Aris-totle’s Doctrine of the Mean is a paradigm example of histhinking.Arete has also been used by Plato when talking about

1

2 6 EXAMPLES OF USAGE

athletic training and also the education of young boys.Stephen G. Miller delves into this usage in his book “An-cient Greek Athletics”. Aristotle is quoted as deliber-ating between education towards arete "...or those thatare theoretical”.[6] Educating towards arete in this sensemeans that the boy would be educated towards things thatare useful in life. But even Plato himself says that areteis not something that can be agreed upon. He says, “Noris there even an agreement about what constitutes arete,something that leads logically to a disagreement about theappropriate training for arete.”[7] To say that arete has acommon definition of excellence or fulfillment may bean overstatement simply because it was very difficult topinpoint arete, much less the proper ways to go about ob-taining it.

2 Athletics

It was commonly believed that the mind, body, and souleach had to be developed and prepared for a man to live alife of arete. This led to the thought that athletics had tobe present in order to obtain arete. They did not need toconsume one’s life, merely exercise the body into the rightcondition for arete, just like the mind and soul would beexercised by other means.[7]

3 Homer

In Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, "arete" is used mainlyto describe heroes and nobles and their mobile dexter-ity, with special reference to strength and courage, butit is not limited to this. Penelope's arete, for exam-ple, relates to co-operation, for which she is praised byAgamemnon. The excellence of the gods generally in-cluded their power, but, in the Odyssey (13.42), the godscan grant excellence to a life, which is contextually un-derstood to mean prosperity. Arete was also the name ofKing Alcinous's wife. According to Bernard Knox's notesfound in the Robert Fagles translation of The Odyssey,“arete” is also associated with the Greek word for pray,“araomai”.[8]

In regards to the Iliad the way Homer describes Achillesis an example of Arete (187). Arete is associated with thegoodness and prowess of a warrior (187). Debra Hawheepoints out that the norms and practices of Athenian vir-tuosity “operate within the politics of reputation, whosenormative poles are honor and shame” (187). This meansArete functions as an external phenomenon dependingon outside reception and acknowledgement for its instan-tiation (188). Dying in battle or securing a victory inthe Olympic Games were considered agathos (good) and,hence, deserving of timê (honor). So, not only is Achillesa brave and brilliant warrior but also, from the outset, heis destined to die in battle at Troy with the utmost glory—a guarantor of Arete.[9]

4 Personification

Further information: Virtus (deity)

Arete was occasionally personified as a goddess, the sisterof Homonoia (not to be confused with Harmonia), andthe daughter of the goddess of justice, Praxidike.Arete and Homonoia were known jointly as the Praxi-dikai (Exacters of Justice). As with many minor Greekdeities, there is little or no real mythical background toArete, who is used at most as a personification of virtue.The only story involving Arete was originally told in the5th century BC by the sophist Prodicus, and concerns theearly life of the hero Heracles. At a crossroads, Arete ap-peared to Heracles as a young maiden, and offered himglory and a life of struggle against evil; her counterpartKakia (κακία, “badness”), offered him wealth and plea-sure. Heracles chose to follow the path of Arete.This story was later used by Christian writers, suchas Methodius of Olympus, Justin Martyr, Clement ofAlexandria, and Basil of Caesarea. Justin and Basil por-tray Arete as a squalidly dressed and unattractive figure,but Methodius portrays her positively in Banquet of theTen Virgins.

5 Paideia

Arete is a significant part of the paideia of ancientGreeks: the training of the boy tomanhood. This trainingin arete included: physical training, for which the Greeksdeveloped the gymnasion; mental training, which in-cluded oratory, rhetoric, and basic sciences; and spiritualtraining, which included music and what is called virtue.

6 Examples of usage

• “Virtue (arete) then is a settled disposition of themind determining the choice of actions and emo-tions, consisting essentially in the observance of themean relative to us, this being determined by prin-ciple, that is, as the prudent man would determineit.”[10]

• “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is hon-orable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whateveris lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excel-lence (arete), if there is anything worthy of praise,think about these things.” (The Admonition of Paulin Philippians)[11]

• Robert Pirsig uses “arete” as a synonym for Qual-ity in his book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Main-tenance. This includes an extensive discussion of

3

Plato’s “Phaedrus” and the historical contrast be-tween Dialectic and Rhetoric. “And what is good,Phaedrus, And what is not good—Need we ask any-one to tell us these things?" Pirsig’s line plays off aline in the Platonic dialogue "The Phaedrus whichreads: “And what is well and what is badly—needwe ask Lysias, or any other poet or orator, who everwrote or will write either a political or any otherwork, in metre or out of metre, poet or prose writer,to teach us this?"[12]

• “O father Zeus, give honor to this hymn for a victorat Olympia, and to his now famous arete in boxing”.From a Pindarian ode inscribed on an Olympic vic-tor’s statue of Diagoras of Rhodes that is set up inOlympia.[7]

7 See also• Aretaic turn

• Aretology

• Virtue ethics

• Metaphysics of Quality

8 Notes[1] Liddell, H.G. & Scott, R. A Greek–English Lexicon, 9th

ed. (Oxford, 1940), s.v. ἀρετή.

[2] Richard Hooker http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~{}dee/GLOSSARY/ARETE.HTM[]

[3] Greek Philosophy: The Allegory of the Cave, The Di-vided Line

[4] Paideia; the Ideals of Greek Culture, Werner Jaeger, Ox-ford University Press, NY, 1945. Vol. I, pg 5.

[5] And in so doing, developed ideas that played a central partin later Christian thought

[6] Miller, Stephen (2004). Arete: Greek Sports from AncientSources. London, England: University of California Press.pp. 149–152. ISBN 978-0520241541.

[7] Miller 2004

[8] Homer. The Odyssey . trans. by Robert Fagles. Introduc-tion and notes by Bernard Knox. Penguin Classics DeluxeEd, London. 1996

[9] Hawhee, Debra. “Agonism and Arete”. Retrieved 5March 2014.

[10] Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, II vi 15, translated H.Rackham (1934: Cambridge, Mass., Harvard UniversityPress)

[11] New Testament, Philippians 4.8

[12] Translated by Benjamin Jowett

9 References• Paideia, Vol. I, pg. 15

• Greek-English Lexicon, Liddell & Scott (1893: Ox-ford, Oxford University Press)

• Paideia: The Ideals of Greek Culture, WernerJaeger, trans. Gilbert Highet (1945: New York, Ox-ford University Press)

• “Arete/Agathon/Kakon”, G.B. Kerferd (in Paul Ed-wards [ed.-in-chief]The Encyclopedia of Philosophy(1967: New York, Macmillan & The Free Press)

• “Ancient Greek Athletics”, By Stephen G. Miller.New Haven and London: Yale University Press,2004

• “HOMONOIA : Goddess of Concord & Unanim-ity | GreekMythology.” Www.theoi.com. N.p., n.d.Web. 03 Feb. 2014.

• “Homonoia (mythology).” Wikipedia. WikimediaFoundation, 22 June 2013. Web. 03 Feb. 2014.

• “Praxidike.”Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 17Dec. 2013. Web. 03 Feb. 2014.

4 10 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

10 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

10.1 Text• Arete Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arete?oldid=654833381 Contributors: SimonP, Ram-Man, Maximus Rex, Stormie, Dpbsmith,Wetman, Aleph4, Psychonaut, Sam Spade, Stirling Newberry, DocWatson42, Muke, WHEELER, Per Honor et Gloria, Bcordes, Dis-cospinster, Mal, Dbachmann, Paul August, Aurelstein, Mashford, Kwamikagami, Rpresser, Viriditas, Alansohn, Bmeacham, WhiteC,Ross Burgess, Falcorian, George Hernandez, Mel Etitis, Uncle G, Bratsche, OldCommentator, Kmg90, Blisco, BD2412, Aethralis, Yurik-Bot, Butsuri, RussBot, Bachrach44, Nutiketaiel, Asarelah, Tomisti, Igiffin, LamontCranston, Josh3580, SmackBot, KnowledgeOfSelf,NantucketNoon, Hmains, Byorgey, Jpviolette, Gamgee, Dreadstar, LoveMonkey, Hgilbert, Marcus Brute, The Man in Question, Jodpurr,Gregbard, Cydebot, Aleph-4, Mrmrbeaniepiece, Bobblehead, JustAGal, WinBot, Courtjester555, Narssarssuaq, Deflective, Bibi Saint-Pol,Magioladitis, VoABot II, KConWiki, Uriel8, R'n'B, Pharaoh of the Wizards, Alsandair, Robertson-Glasgow, Macedonian, Nedrutland,David Marjanović, Turgan, Pjoef, Nemozen, Worldthoughts, Meldor, Dawn Bard, Explicit, Ricardo Frantz, ClueBot, Drmies, Copyedi-tor42, Wadofglue, Gowhites0x06, Kadellar, Addbot, Nathan.besteman, AtheWeatherman, Arxiloxos, AnomieBOT, Quorn3000, Jim1138,JackieBot, Xqbot, Erud, Omnipaedista, PHansen, T of Locri, Sw12bps, Dorshil, Yeng-Wang-Yeh, Stroppolo, Bobby122, Davidjess, Chcul-bertson, Super48paul, Tommy2010, Lorem Ip, Tot12, Mikejpam, Spicemix, ClueBot NG, Umuhk, Satellizer, Dream of Nyx, Rezabot,Aline35, Mihaidragos86, Mohamed CJ, Davidiad, Vanished user sdij4rtltkjasdk3, Dexbot, Frosty, Centre7, Ruby Murray, Respositob,TheFakePlant, Kurleshi, ChuckDiezel76, RASHARDHOPKINS27302730 and Anonymous: 101

10.2 Images• File:Arete_-_Areté-_Éfeso.jpg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/Arete_-_Aret%C3%A9-_%C3%89feso.jpg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Carlos Delgado

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