Does anyone have any thoughts on the concept of “arete”? My parents told me that it meant “virtue and excelence”, and a student of clasical greek that I met when I was in high school said “Ahah, the heroic ideal!”, a definition I’ve always loved. (My name is Arettie. Spelling a Victorian affectation. I’m the fourth in my family.)
(ahhh…where else could I ask such a thing? what a nice message board!)
Welcome, x27, to the SDMB! Have fun!
This Google search may help you out. “Arete” means all things of excellence, persuit of excellence, virtue, etc. etc.
I thought an arete was a geological feature. A narrow spire, caused somehow by glacial action, as I recall. dictionary.com seems to confirm this. Just a thought.
If you try Google, use arete and hubris as search arguments. Arete alone will bring back a million name brand products where the merchants had the hubris to think that their product was the best.
Once you’ve used Google, be prepared for disappointment. Most of the hits are for college syllabus offerings that are mere outlines without explanations.
Your best bet would probably be a good text book on literature, particularly Ancient Greek literature.
I did find these two sites that have some info:
http://www.nyu.edu/classes/henry/qfk98/ec2.html
and this sports program
http://www.cortland.edu/www/physed/aretephilosophy.html
typo mna, you are correct, except that x27’s parents have already indicated the meaning from literature.
Thanks for your kind replies and helpful links!
They also used it in a technological/artistic sense, meaning excellence of form and function.
And here I always thought that it meant “stop” in Quebec French. No, wait. That’s “arrêt”. 