The Virtues

Arête

Introducing our section on the nature of virtue, Philip Vassallo describes how the ancient conception of arête arose and developed.

In discussing arête, Plato leads the examination of humankind’s quest for excellence. Henry Marrou describes arête as “the ideal value to which even life itself must be sacrificed.” Although Marrou considers ludicrous the translation of the word from ancient Greek to mean virtue (he prefers valor), virtue is the term used by translator W.K.C.

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