Arete (paideia) - Definition and Overview

Arete in its basic sense means 'excellence'. The Ancient Greeks applied the term to anything; the excellence of a horse, the excellence of a bull to be bred, or the excellence of a man. When applied in this way, arete is gender-neutral and species-neutral. It may also have been applied to things divine. 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 woman.

The oldest meaning of arete is "a combination of proud and courtly morality with warlike valour." "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)

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.

The moral excellence or arete of a man is properly called ηθικη αρετη or virtue.

Occurrences of the word arete

• "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.

Lexicon entry of synonyms

From An English-Greek Lexicon, by Younge, 1870

References

(1) Paideia, Vol I, pg 5.

Bibliography

• Paideia: The Ideals of Greek Culture, Werner Jaeger, trans. Gilbert Highet, Oxford University Press, NY, 1945.
• Robert M. Pirsig also remarks on the concept of arete in his second novel, Lila: An Inquiry into Morals.