Arete is one of the most important concepts to travel through time from Homer to today. It was the foundational belief that made the Athenian culture in Greece what is considered to be the greatest culture in all of human history. And yet, as our reading indicates, arete is simply a belief in ourselves--in our own excellent predispositions which if encouraged and educated, can create successful individuals.
If that sounds to you like the world we live in now, where people develop their talents in order to become successful and prosperous, that would be a mistaken view of the Greek ideal. In addition to excellence, the Greek Homeric ideal stressed many important concepts, like working for the common good, justice, balance, honor, moderation, and hubris. Using only the first chapter in our text,
Explain what you take to be that ideal and explain how the concepts just mentioned fit into it.
Explain how the idea of hubris characterizes much of Western culture. Give examples.
Explain how justice, balance, and honor if accepted would make a difference in culture. What if we all worked for the common good as the Greeks did and not for our individual goods?
Is moderation morally necessary today?
Might the Homeric ideal be a way to improve American culture? Why do you think so?