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() is a concept in ancient Greek thought that refers to "excellence" of any kind—especially a person or thing's "full realization of potential or inherent function." The term may also refer to excellence in "Virtue."
The concept was also occasionally personified as a minor goddess, Arete (not to be confused with the mythological Queen Arete), who, together with sister Homonoia, formed the Praxidikai ("Exacters of Justice").
In its earliest appearance in Greek language, this notion of excellence was bound up with the notion of the telos or function: living up to one's potential. A person of is of the highest effectiveness; such a person uses all of their faculties—Self-control, bravery, and wit—to achieve real results. In the Homeric world, involves all of the abilities and potentialities available to humans. Though particularly associated with "manly" qualities, the Homeric usage of the term was not necessarily gender-specific, as Homer applied the term to both the Greek and Trojan War heroes as well as major female figures, such as Penelope, the wife of Greek hero Odysseus. In the Homeric poems, is frequently associated with bravery, but more often with effectiveness.
In some contexts, is explicitly linked with human knowledge, where the expressions "virtue is knowledge" and " is knowledge" are used interchangeably. In this sense, the highest human potential is knowledge, and all other human abilities derive from this central capacity. If is knowledge, the highest human knowledge is knowledge about knowledge itself. In this light, the theoretical study of human knowledge, which Aristotle called "contemplation", is the highest human ability and happiness.
The root of the word is the same as , the word which shows superlative ability and superiority, and was constantly used in the plural to denote the nobility.By , as applied to men had developed to include quieter virtues, such as (justice) and (self-restraint). Though Plato tried to produce a moral philosophy that incorporated this new usage, it was in the Nicomachean Ethics of Aristotle that the doctrine of found its fullest flowering. Aristotle's Doctrine of the Mean is a paradigm example of his thinking.
Aristotle deliberated on the various goals of education: including practical skills, , and theory. Educating towards means boys would be educated towards things that are useful in life. However, there is no agreement about what constitutes , which leads to disagreement about how to train students for . To say that has a common definition of excellence or fulfillment may be an overstatement simply because it was very difficult to pinpoint , much less the proper ways to go about obtaining it.
The Odyssey states that "far-sounding Zeus takes away half the arete of a man, when the day of slavery takes hold of him."
In the Iliad, the way Homer describes Achilles is an example of . is associated with the goodness and prowess of a warrior. Debra Hawhee points out that the norms and practices of Athens virtuosity "operate within the politics of reputation, whose normative poles are honor and shame." Dying in battle or securing a victory in the Olympic Games were considered ("good") and, hence, deserving of ("honor"). So, not only is Achilles a brave and brilliant warrior but also, from the outset, he is destined to die in battle at Troy with the utmost glory—a guarantor of .
According to Bernard Knox's notes in the Robert Fagles' translation of The Odyssey, "" is also associated with , the Greek word for "pray".
The only surviving story involving Arete was told in by the sophist Prodicus. Known as "Hercules at the crossroads", it concerns the early life of the hero Heracles. 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 () offered him wealth and pleasure. Heracles chose to follow the path of Arete.
This story was later used by Christianity writers, such as Methodius of Olympus, Justin Martyr, Clement of Alexandria, and Basil of Caesarea.
was also used by [[Plato]] in his discussion of athletic training and the education of young boys. It was commonly believed that the mind, body, and soul each had to be developed for a man to live a life of . This led to the thought that athletics had to be present in order to obtain . Athletics did not need to occupy one's life, but could be used to exercise the body into the right condition for , just as the mind and soul would be exercised by other means.
is a significant part of the of ancient Greeks: the training of the boy to manhood. This training in included physical training, for which the Greeks developed the ; mental training, which included [[oratory|Public speaking]], [[rhetoric]], and [[basic science]]s; and [[spiritual|spirituality]] training, which included [[music]] and what is called [[virtue]].
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