Essay 1- Arete

My definition of arête would have to be that is striving to be at the top of your game at all times, never wanting to give up and always wanting to stand up for what you believe in. I think that Socrates demonstrated this because no matter how badly anyone judged him on his beliefs, he went on believing, and then taught about his beliefs, he taught his students to never give up on finding the answers to their questions and to always question the popular opinions of everyone else, even if they would be seen as different. Also he demonstrated this by dying for what he believed in, and not apologizing for what he thought was right. The Greeks demonstrated this by creating the first ever democracy. It used to be that only the wealthy and powerful citizens had a say in what went on, but then there came to be some kind of voting system where everyone had a say, and everyone could have their own opinion. I think all of Athens demonstrated arête.