[lit-ideas] RE: [lit-ideas] aretê - Greek for virtue (was: Query)
- From: "William Ball" <ballnw@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 5 Oct 2004 15:35:23 -0400
Richard Henninge's comments on the Greek "arete" and its usual
translation as "virtue" are pretty much as I understand it. Beyond that,
I believe it means more specifically, excellence, but more like
"excellence at something." Thus, as I remember from volume I of Jaeger's
PAEDEIA, one would speak of the excellence of the cobbler, or the arete
of the statesman, or the excellence of the arrow on its journey to and
arrival at the target.
When we use that as our understanding, the so-called Socratic enigma of
"arete este episteme" becomes less enigmatic when we understand Socrates
(Plato) to mean "excellence at anything is knowledge [complete] of that
something." Therefore, Aristotle's definition of eudaimonia [vital well
being] becomes "an activity of the psyche in accordance with excellence
at recognizing and practicing "vital well being" over a complete life
with a minimum of external necessities," arete being an internal virtue.
Also, a colleague of mine reminded me that "virtue" has to do with the
idea of being manly, 'vir,' although gender would be hardly relevant
today, except that for some strange reason one usually refers to a woman
as being virtuous, and not usually a man's being so.
But that's as I worked it out up till now and I welcome any comment on
my thoughts, adverse or otherwise.
Kind regards to all,
William Ball
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Richard notes:
You're probably thinking of "aret=EA," which can mean the quality or
excellence of a thing, and thus, for an arrow, its ability to fly true
and
strike through, for a pitcher its quality or talent for holding liquids,
though part of that is, in a pinch, adaptable to striking (small)
animals
(see American films of the twentios). I mention adaptable because it
appears
that the noun "aret=EA" is derived from a verb meaning to adjust,
originally
in the sense of to tighten, as in clothing, or a belt, bridle and
harnesses
to a field animal for plowing, or in arming for battle. Homer, in the
Iliad
13:800, describes the Trojans as being "tightened," drawn up in close
ranks,
and therefore very resistant, very strong. The word "aret=EA" can also =
be
applied in a moral sense, a soul can be so composed, a mind so formed,
that
it is "sharp."
The virtue Kant is talking about in the Critique of Practical Reason is
very
similar to this Greek ideal. His virtual revulsion at the inclinations
that
trouble human beings and make them weak, both morally and intellectually
(he
might even add physically), seemed to be the motor driving him in the
direction of the a pr=EDori. The German word for virtue, "Tugend," has =
its
roots in "taugen," meaning that something is usable, is fitting, suited
for
the job it is expected to perform. A worthless person is referred to as
a
"Taugenichts," a "good-for-nothing," and in that you can see how
"virtue"
can be related with a sense of "good," and eventually to the Good in
general. The French, "ar=EAte," (here the circonflexe knows what it is
doing,
before it meant the long =EA, =EAta, not the short e, epsilon [e-psilon,
"pure,
simple, bald e"]), is the divide, the ridge line, the roof top, and
comes
from Latin "arista," the beard of grain, summer--like Wednesday, hump
day?--but, rather, when grain acquires its beard, its "best" (Greek
"aristos," the best) part, its virtue, its quality, its special
"talent,"
its "raison d'=EAtre," that which is eventually gleaned, the thing at =
its
most
useful, what it is "good" for. (For David Ritchie, the "business end" of
a
sword.)
Richard Henninge
University of Mainz
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