Arete (Greek Virtue/Excellence)
The ancient Greek concept of virtue, excellence, or distinctive excellence, the quality that makes a person, thing, or action the best possible version of what it is. Unlike modern 'virtue' (which implies moral goodness), arete is the excellence specific to a thing's nature: a knife's arete is sharpness, a horse's is speed, a human's is the full actualization of their distinctive capacities. The Greek ethical tradition held that arete and eudaimonia (flourishing) are inseparable.
Arete (ἀρετή) is one of the foundational concepts of Greek ethics and culture, with no single English equivalent, 'virtue,' 'excellence,' 'merit,' and 'character' all capture aspects of it. Homer uses it primarily for martial excellence (the arete of Achilles is being the best warrior); Plato extends it to all human capacities; Aristotle makes it the center of his ethical theory.
The Homeric context: in the Iliad, arete is the excellence that wins glory (kleos) and honor (time), the competitive virtues of the warrior aristocracy. Achilles' arete is physical prowess and martial courage. Odysseus' arete is intelligence and eloquence. Each hero has a distinctive excellence that defines who they are and what they are for. Without expressing that excellence, the hero cannot be himself, which is why Achilles is so miserable when Agamemnon forces him to sit out the battle.
Aristotle's development: in the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle distinguishes between intellectual virtues (aretai of thinking: wisdom, understanding, prudence) and moral virtues (aretai of character: courage, justice, temperance, generosity). For Aristotle, arete is not a fixed trait but a hexis, a stable disposition acquired through habituation. You become courageous by doing courageous things; you become just by doing just things. Virtue is not a gift but an achievement of sustained practice.
The Great Books application: Predictive History uses arete as the Greek answer to the question 'what does it mean to be human?', the Greeks believed that human flourishing required each person to identify and fully develop their distinctive capacities. This stands against the Roman (Virgilian) ideal of piety and obedience, where excellence means conforming to tradition rather than actualizing individual potential. The tension between the two is the tension between Greek and Roman civilization, and, by extension, between the creative and conservative poles of any culture.
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Frequently asked questions
What does arete mean in ancient Greek? ＋
Arete (ἀρετή) means excellence, virtue, or the quality that makes something the best version of itself. A knife's arete is sharpness; a horse's is speed; a warrior's is courage and martial skill. Unlike modern 'virtue' (moral goodness), arete is specific to a thing's nature, the full actualization of whatever capacity defines it. In Homer, arete is what wins glory and honor; in Aristotle, it's the stable disposition of character developed through practice.
How is arete connected to eudaimonia (flourishing)? ＋
For the Greeks, they are inseparable: you can only achieve eudaimonia (human flourishing, happiness) by expressing your arete. Achilles in the Iliad says he was given a prophecy, die old at home or die young as a hero. He chooses Troy without hesitation: only by fighting can he be Achilles, and only by being fully Achilles can he flourish. The person who denies their distinctive excellence to live conventionally is, in the Greek view, failing at the project of being human.