Ageless Arete

Selected Essays from the 6th Interdisciplinary Symposium on the Hellenic Heritage of Sicily and Southern Italy

Heather Reid, John Serrati, Laura Massetti, William Wians, Patrick O'Sullivan, Jonah Radding, Gianna Stergiou, Jacques Bromberg, Jurgen Gatt, Michal Bizon, Tim Sorg, Giuseppe Ficocelli, Wim Nijs, Claudia Gianturco, Loredana Cardullo, Makoto Sekimura, A. M. Genova, Aura Piccioni, Heather L. Reid, John Serrati

• Publisher: Parnassos Press - Fonte Aretusa
• Year: 2022
• Print ISBN: 9781942495512
• eBook ISBN: 9781942495499
• Topic: Philosophy
• Subtopic: Ancient & Classical Philosophy

Arete is a crucial concept in ancient Greek culture that defies simple translation. In general, it indicates excellence¬-especially of human beings, but also of animals, institutions, even objects. It is linked to important concepts such as glory, justice, truth and harmony. It influences important activities such as religion, athletics, politics, and education. This collection demonstrates the length and breadth of arete's importance in ancient Greek and Roman culture, from its prehistorical etymological roots to its mystification in pre-Christian theology and even its manifestation in the career of a modern archaeologist. Leaving aside Plato and Aristotle, to whom a companion volume has been dedicated, these essays explore arete in Presocratic philosophy, classical oratory, epinician poetry, tragic drama, ancient Sicilian history, Stoicism, Epicureanism, and Neoplatonic thought. The picture that emerges is of a concept that transcends mere virtue: it is based on effort but dependent on recognition, a personal quality that demands political engagement, distinct from social advantage but expected to advantage society. To understand arete philosophically, we must explore its function in the wider culture-and vice versa. Arete is an enduring-even ageless-concept that, properly understood, may benefit humanity even today.