Arete, in ancient Greek philosophy, refers to excellence or virtue in all aspects of life. It is the concept of living up to one's full potential and striving for greatness in all endeavors. There are many examples of arete in various fields and areas of life, and individuals who embody this concept can serve as inspiring examples for others.
One example of arete in the realm of athletics is the legendary Olympic runner, Usain Bolt. Bolt is widely considered one of the greatest sprinters of all time, and his dedication to training and his natural talent have helped him achieve numerous Olympic gold medals and world records. He consistently pushes himself to be the best he can be and sets the bar high for other athletes to strive for.
Another example of arete can be found in the arts. Michelangelo, the famous Renaissance artist, is known for his stunning sculptures and paintings that showcase his exceptional talent and dedication to his craft. He worked tirelessly to perfect his skills and create masterpieces that continue to inspire and amaze people centuries later.
In the field of science, Marie Curie is a prime example of arete. Curie was a pioneering physicist and chemist who made groundbreaking contributions to the fields of radioactivity and X-ray technology. She was the first woman to be awarded a Nobel Prize and the first person to win two Nobel Prizes in two different scientific fields. Curie's dedication to her work and her willingness to pursue new and challenging research earned her a place in history as a true example of arete.
Arete can also be found in the world of business. Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, is known for his innovative ideas and his relentless drive to bring those ideas to fruition. He revolutionized the tech industry with the creation of products like the iPod and iPhone, and his dedication to excellence helped make Apple one of the most successful companies in the world.
In conclusion, arete is a concept that can be applied to all aspects of life and can be exemplified by individuals in a variety of fields. Whether it is through athletics, the arts, science, or business, those who embody arete inspire others to strive for excellence and greatness in their own lives.
Arete: The Practice of Excellence
Greek art, for example, celebrated the perfect human form. For the identification as Athena Polias with phiĂĄlÄ note the altar and the two owls flanking the seated goddess; for two other examples of the same subject by the same painter see Shapiro 1989:31n102 and plate 11 a-b. This showed his love towards him family and how he needed her back to regain sanity. Alexander the Great went on to found Alexandria a city that can be said to be rooted in the concepts of arete and other related virtues. If you have a great algorithm, you can solve problems with few flaws. Together with the atmosphere and the rotation of the earth on its axis.
That increasingly tenuous continuity would account for the exceptional importance, in the city of Athens, of the only acropolis where a truly poliad deity really did take over from the last vestiges of a disintegrating royal house. The idea of arete in Greek philosophy is one that is difficult to translate for modern audiences. It runs through Greek life. The text was improved by Wolfgang Luppe, who recognized that the length of the lines should be shortened Luppe 1983. Introduction and notes by Bernard Knox. It could be used to talk about an animal who performed a simple task well, but for human it only applied to people who lived truly exceptional lives. For a vivid depiction of the rape on a Thracian gilt silver bowl see Boardman 1994:184â185, figure 6.
. Arete is described in exactly these terms at her first appearance in the poem as well: when Nausicaa awakens from the dream sent by Athena and goes to see her father and mother, she finds her mother sitting by the hearth with women servants, holding the distaff and spinning Odyssey 6. What parts of the poems originated in sixth-century Athens I include this passage as well as the expansion of the catalogue of heroines in Odyssey 11 is an open question; another possible example is briefly considered in EN3. Athena herself had a widespread festival called the Plynteria, the washing festival, whose real purpose is also shrouded in mystery. Because social position was ordained by fate and the will of the gods, members of the nobility were more naturally inclined toward achievement and fulfillment. The word arete is never explicitly said, but if you wrap-up every idea in the video into one overarching concept of virtue, goodness, ethics, and higher meaning, you could describe that overarching concept as arete.
On these weights Athena herself appears in the form of an owl, her sacred bird, spinning wool from a wool basket in front of her. Next Odysseus speculates that if she is a goddess she must be Artemis because of her tall stature Odyssey 6. The process starts with the accumulation of snow which forms the glacial ice. From the legend that the image fell from the sky some have inferred that it was little more than an aniconic slab of wood Kroll 1982:73â75; Robertson 1996:29; cf. It represents a significant leap forward in human thought and I want to be a part of that journey Adam Smith started. A climax is reached in Odyssey 7. Excellence comes with time and patience.
Later, when Odysseus approaches the Phaeacian city, Athena appears again disguised as a Phaeacian maiden, and this time tells Odysseus about Arete and Alcinous, drawing special attention to Arete. This way of thinking originates from arete: 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 By the 5th and 4th centuries BC, arete as applied to men had developed to include quieter virtues, such as arete found its fullest flowering. An overt comparison, moreover, means that one thing is not another, that two things are similar but remain distinct. Even when I'm thinking about my future and how I want to put my talents to use, I find myself focusing on this one particular notion. The opposite of virtue is described instead as vice.
In Theocritus this is the second of two proverbial expressions for sleeplessness 21. Typically Arete Engineers uses the Allowable Stress Design ASD Method with a safety factor of 3 built in to ensure the safety of the bridge. If so, what became of this goddess in the post-Homeric era? He saw the importance of achieving excellence in all things, and the thing above things is the state, the virtue above all virtues is arete, therefore for Aristotle to teach Alexander the Great concepts like arete, telos, polis, and ethos was to ensure enlightenment for the people. Instead of focusing on just your total happiness or your total service, you focus on the quality of whatever you do. For the festival at which Athena Polias and Erechtheus received such sacrifices an uncertain matter for so early a period see §3.
It is worth repeating that there was only one old cult of Athena in Athens, that of Athena Polias, and it was to this goddess that the festival of the Plynteria belonged. First, a Warning Though it is good and noble to pursue excellence, we should avoid becoming slaves to perfectionism. The book is difficult to read and requires more effort than a more entertaining novel. Where can an ArĂȘte be Found? In all these cases, arete was achieved by fulfilling a purpose and ideal not just once, but over the course of a lifetime. The ideals that philosophers and artists held in such high esteem were impossible for any but the most privileged members of society to reach. The threat that Odysseus poses is of course clear, given his wild appearance.
Scholia to Demosthenes 22. But if you are one of mortals who live on earth, your father and revered mother are thrice-blest, and your brothers are thrice-blest; surely their heart is always warmed with gladness because of you when they see such a blossoming shoot entering the dance. Hector had to make a choice when his wife, Andromache, asked him to stay and not go to battle. Pursuing happiness completely may also feel somewhat shallow as if the entire point of your existence rests on a few neurotransmitters in your brain. The changes that took place with respect to Athena and Erechtheus in post-Homeric Athens must next be considered in detail in order to complete the historical picture here proposed.
Cleaver resembles meat cleaver slicing meat into two. Athena herself, however, is not incidental to this story; she manages the episode from beginning to end. Nilsson contrasts Zeus, who protects the institution of kingship rather than the person of the king, and whose protection is therefore not inherited. Donohue 226; Donohue 229â230 cites among others for this view Deonna 1930, vol. We explain arete, a philosophical term with deep meaning first used by Greeks. It is precisely by doing nothing that she becomes the goddess in this tableau. Only one other moment in the Phaeacian episode compares with this in intensity, namely when Odysseus supplicates Nausicaa.
