Arete (Greek: ἀρετή; pronounced /ˈærəteɪ/ in English) in its basic sense means "goodness", "excellence" or "virtue" of any kind. In its earliest appearance in Greek this notion of excellence was bound up with the notion of the fulfillment of purpose or function; the act of living up to one's full potential. For the philosophical concept of goodness see Goodness and value theory. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... Personification of virtue (Greek ἀρετή) in Celsus Library in Ephesos, Turkey Virtue (Latin virtus; Greek ) is moral excellence of a person. ...

"The root of the word is the same as 'aristos', the word which shows superlative ability and superiority, and 'aristos' was constantly used in the plural to denote the nobility." ^[1] (see Aristocracy) The Ancient Greeks applied the term to anything: for example, the excellence of a chimney, the excellence of a bull to be bred, and the excellence of a man. The meaning of the word changes depending on what it describes, since everything has its own particular excellence; the arete of a man is different from the arete of a horse. This way of thinking first comes from Plato, and can be seen in Plato's Allegory of the Cave.^[2]. Arete (Greek: ) in its basic sense means goodness or excellence of any kind, especially manly qualities. ... Superior has various meanings: A superior is a person who has the authority to command another, as in a superior officer. See: Superior (function) In a hierarchical structure of any kind, a superior is higher in the hierarchy and thus closer to the apex than the subordinate ones. ... Nobility is a traditional hereditary status (see hereditary titles) that exists today in many countries (mainly present or former monarchies). ... Aristocrat redirects here. ... Ancient Greece is the term used to describe the Greek_speaking world in ancient times. ... For general information about the genus, including other species of cattle, see Bos. ... For other uses, see Reproduction (disambiguation) Reproduction is the biological process by which new individual organisms are produced. ... Photograph of a nude man by Wilhelm von Gloeden, ca. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

By the fourth and fifth centuries BC, arete as applied to men had developed to include quieter virtues, such as dikaiosyne (justice) and sophrosyne (self-restraint). Plato attempted to produce a moral philosophy that incorporated this new usage (and in doing so developed ideas that played a central part in later Christian thought), but it was in the work of Aristotle that the doctrine of arete found its fullest flowering. Aristotle's "Doctrine of the Mean" (not to be confused with Confucius's Doctrine of the Mean) and "The Four Causes" are good examples of Aristotle's thinking. (5th century BC - 4th century BC - 3rd century BC - other centuries) (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium AD) Events Invasion of the Celts into Ireland Kingdom of Macedon conquers Persian empire Romans build first aqueduct Chinese use bellows The Scythians are beginning to be absorbed into the Sarmatian... (6th century BC - 5th century BC - 4th century BC - other centuries) (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium AD) Events Demotic becomes the dominant script of ancient Egypt Persians invade Greece twice (Persian Wars) Battle of Marathon (490) Battle of Salamis (480) Athenian empire formed and falls Peloponnesian War... This article is about the concept of justice. ... Sophrosyne (σοφροσύνη) is a Greek philosophical term etymologically meaning moral sanity and from there self control or moderation. Greeks upheld the ideal of sophrosyne, which means wisdom and moderation but ultimately its complex meaning, so important to the Ancients, is very difficult to convey in english. ... For other uses, see Plato (disambiguation). ... Ethics is a general term for what is often described as the science (study) of morality. In philosophy, ethical behavior is that which is good or right. ... For other uses, see Christian (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Aristotle (disambiguation). ... Confucius (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Kung-fu-tzu), lit. ... The Doctrine of the Mean (Chinese: 中庸; Pinyin: ) is one of the Four Books, part of the Confucian canonical scriptures. ...

Homer

In Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, arete is mainly used of heroes and nobles and their mobile dexterity, with special reference to strength and courage, but it isn't limited to this. Penelope's arete, for example, relates to co-operation, for which she's praised by Agamemnon. The excellence of the gods included their power, whereas in the Odyssey (13.42) the gods can grant excellence to a life, which is understood from the context to mean prosperity. Arete was also the name of King Alcinous' wife. For other uses, see Homer (disambiguation). ... title page of the Rihel edition of ca. ... For other uses, see Odyssey (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Hero (disambiguation). ... Nobility is a traditional hereditary status (see hereditary titles) that exists today in many countries (mainly present or former monarchies). ... Physical strength is the ability of a person or animal to exert force on physical objects using muscles. ... For other uses, see Courage (disambiguation). ... The Vatican Penelope: a Roman marble copy of an Early Classical 6th-century Greek work (Vatican Museums) For other uses, see Penelope (disambiguation). ... Co-operation refers to the practice of people or greater entities working in common with commonly agreed-upon goals and possibly methods, instead of working separately in competition. ... This article is about a character in Greek mythology. ... In Greek mythology, Alcinous (sometimes with the diacritical mark Alcinoüs; also transliterated as Alkínoös) was a son of Nausithous and father of Nausicaa and Laodamas with Arete. ...

Personification

Further information: Virtus (deity)

Arete was occasionally personified as a goddess, the sister of Harmonia (a personification of concord), daughter of the goddess of justice Praxidike. In Roman mythology, Virtus was the deity of bravery and military strength, the personification of the Roman virtue of virtus. ... Arete (Greek ) was a minor Ancient Greek goddess of virtue, daughter of the goddess of justice Praxidike. ... In Greek mythology, Harmonia is the immortal goddess of harmony and concord. ... This article is about the concept of justice. ... In Greek mythology, Praxidike is the goddess of judicial punishment. ...

Arete and Harmonia were known jointly as the Praxidikai (Exacters of Justice). As with many minor Greek deities, there's little or no real mythical background to Arete, who is used at most as a personification of virtue. 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. The 5th century BC started the first day of 500 BC and ended the last day of 401 BC. // The Parthenon of Athens seen from the hill of the Pnyx to the west. ... Sophism was originally a term for the techniques taught by a highly respected group of philosophy and rhetoric teachers in ancient Greece. ... Prodicus of Ceos (Πρόδικος Pródikos, born c. ... For other uses, see Hero (disambiguation). ... Alcides redirects here. ...

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. Heracles chose to follow the path of Arete.

This story was later used by Christian writers, such as Justin Martyr, Clement of Alexandria, and Basil of Caesarea, use Prodicus' story, but Justin and Basil change Arete from a modest and attractive maiden into a squalidly dressed and unattractive figure. Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Christianity is... Justin Martyr (also Justin the Martyr, Justin of Caesarea, Justin the Philosopher) (100–165) was an early Christian apologist and saint. ... Clement of Alexandria (Titus Flavius Clemens), was the first member of the Church of Alexandria to be more than a name, and one of its most distinguished teachers. ... Basil (ca. ...

Paideia

Arete is a significant part of the paideia of ancient Greeks: the training of the boy to manhood. This training in arete included: physical training, for which the Greeks developed the gymnasion, mental training, which included oratory, rhetoric, and basic sciences, and spiritual training, which included music and what is called virtue. To the ancient Greeks, Paideia (παιδεία) was the process of educating man into his true form, the real and genuine human nature. ... In most educational systems, physical education (PE), also called physical training (PT) or gym, is a course in the curriculum which utilizes the learning medium of large-muscle activities in a play or movement exploration setting. ... The gymnasium functioned as a training facility for competitors in public games. ... Oratory is the art of eloquent speech. ... Rhetoric (from Greek , rhêtôr, orator, teacher) is generally understood to be the art or technique of persuasion through the use of oral, visual, or written language; however, this definition of rhetoric has expanded greatly since rhetoric emerged as a field of study in universities. ... Pure science, also called basic science, is the exact science of the development of scientific theories, without consideration of their application. ... Spirituality, in a narrow sense, concerns itself with matters of the spirit. ... For other uses, see Music (disambiguation). ... Personification of virtue (Greek ἀρετή) in Celsus Library in Ephesos, Turkey Virtue (Latin virtus; Greek ) is moral excellence of a person. ...

Examples of usage

• "Virtue (arete) then is a settled disposition of the mind determining the choice of actions and emotions, consisting essentially in the observance of the mean relative to us, this being determined by principle, that is, as the prudent man would determine it." Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, II vi 15, translated H. Rackham (1934: Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press)
• "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 (arete), if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." New Testament, Philippians 4.8.
• Robert Pirsig uses "arete" as a synonym for Quality in his book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. This includes an extensive discussion of Plato's "Phaedrus" and the historical contrast between Dialectic and Rhetoric. "And what is good, Phaedrus, And what is not good -- Need we ask anyone to tell us these things?" - Socrates

Robert Maynard Pirsig (born September 6, 1928) is a popular American novelist. ... Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values is the first of Robert M. Pirsigs texts in which he explores a Metaphysics of quality. ...

Sources and reading

• Greek-English Lexicon, Liddell & Scott (1883: Oxford, Oxford University Press)
• Paideia: The Ideals of Greek Culture, Werner Jaeger, trans. Gilbert Highet (1945: New York, Oxford University Press)
• "Arete/Agathon/Kakon", G.B. Kerferd (in Paul Edwards [ed.-in-chief] The Encyclopedia of Philosophy (1967: New York, Macmillan & The Free Press)

See also

• Aretology
• Virtue ethics
• Arya

Look up aretology in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Ārya is a Sanskrit (आर्य) and Avestan word used by Hindus, Jains, Zoroastrians, and Buddhists. ...

Notes

Werner Jaeger Werner Jaeger (July 30, 1888 - October 9, 1961) was a classicist of the 20th century. ...

References

1. Paideia, Vol. I, pg. 15.