Aristotle & Virtue Theory: How to Get More Courage
4 takeaways from Aristotle’s ‘Ethics’
At the core of ancient Greek philosophy is the concept of arête. First coined by the poet Homer, and later fleshed out by the philosopher Aristotle, this salient term is best defined as living up to one’s full potential, or “excellence”
We know it when we see it.
Take, for instance, the American gymnast Simone Biles.
You don’t have to enjoy gymnastics to be transfixed when she’s swinging from the bar effortlessly — and living on the brink of chaos where one bad move could snap her neck.
Yet, that moment when she jumps off the bar and throws her arms up in triumph sends a manic furry through your spirit. You can’t even help it. You and hundreds of other people stand up in rapturous applause as though possessed.
You’ve just witnessed excellence.
“Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly.” — Aristotle
