In Ancient Greek times, the word arête was used almost interchangeably with ¨excellence¨ or ¨quality.¨ Achieving arête was a significant accomplishment to the Greeks- it brought with it an immense sense of pride and accomplishment. Arête was also associated with agṓn, or struggle to achieve something. However, was that the extent of the deal? Did arête result in nothing more than internal pride? And if so, is this pride synonymous with the achievement of personal pleasure?
At face value, this seems like a clear-cut idea. You do something great, show off your skills and well-rounded ability, and the award you earn is little more than bragging rights. There doesn't seem to be a good reason this would amount to anything more. The deed is done, you won, and you move on with your life.
However, arête is not always seen as just the idea of personal excellence; it´s often perceived as a lifestyle. Living with arête is infectious, and it causes others to follow a similar path. The virtues of agṓn build an individual up, but they also influence society in a positive way. Those who follow arête are often effective as warriors or diplomats, or could fill other roles that are useful to their communities.
Arête doesn't serve simply as a selfish pursuit mainly because of its influence on those around one who pursues it. If an individual is surrounded by others who boldly face agṓn, then that individual will be more capable of finding the strength within themselves to do the same. As a result, he or she will reach personal accomplishments, but they will also be more able and willing to serve their community and make a supportive impact on their civilization.
You do a nice job at getting at the "bigger picture" behind arete as a guiding principle to life. I'd also ask you to consider another way it's not really a selfish pursuit. When you're really into something, when you're fighting (physically, mentally, whatever) to make something well or do something with high quality, you actually step out of yourself in some way, don't you? You're right that you do have bragging rights when all is said and done, but I wonder if someone who practices arete is interested in bragging at all? In the struggle to realize something, don't we transcend ourselves in some way? When people are "in the zone," isn't that an expression that they're not apart from what they're doing, but have somehow merged with what they're doing?
ReplyDeleteYour explanation of the reward for arete being shared with others doesn't really seem universal. What if someone doesn't gather motivation from someone else's success? How would it then have an effect on them?
ReplyDelete