Skip to content
← Glossary
Areté

Areté

Virtue, excellence — the only unconditional good for the Stoic.

For the Stoics, Areté breaks down into four cardinal virtues: wisdom (phronesis), courage (andreia), justice (dikaiosyne), and temperance (sophrosyne). Everything else — health, wealth, reputation — is adiaphoron, indifferent with respect to the good life.