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4 Greek Ideals. 1. Reciprocity 2. Areté (ah ree TAY) 3. Xenia (ZEE nee ah) 4. Ergon (UHR gone). 1. Reciprocity . Reciprocity is the mutual exchange between two or more people. Example : I will give you my sword for your spear. This is a fair trade of reciprocity .
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4 Greek Ideals 1. Reciprocity 2. Areté(ah ree TAY) 3. Xenia (ZEE nee ah) 4. Ergon(UHR gone)
1. Reciprocity • Reciprocity is the mutual exchange between two or more people. • Example: I will give you my sword for your spear. This is a fair trade of reciprocity. • If you lose everything you own in a fire, I will give you food and clothes because someday, I hope you would do the same for me. This is called deferred (aka delayed) reciprocity.
2. Areté (ah ree TAY) • Areté translates as "virtue", although the word actually means something closer to "being the best you can be", or "reaching your highest human potential". • The man or woman of areté is a person of the highest effectiveness. They use all their faculties – strength, bravery, intelligence and deceptiveness – to achieve real results.
3. Xenia (ZEE nee ah) • Xenia means guest-friendship or hospitality. The idea of xenia is closely linked to the idea of aidos – it was one’s duty to be hospitable. • Xeniais also a form of deferred reciprocity. Both guest and host were expected to act with respect and courtesy. It was expected that a guest would be treated to the finest a household had to offer. Poor treatment of a guest could bring down the wrath of Zeus, protector of travelers and guests.
4. Ergon (UHR gone) • This society also valued ergon, or good hard work. Without it, no society can exist. • Even for a king like Odysseus, manual labor was seen as a sign of virtue.