I’ve had a wonderful epiphany in my intellectual development recently that has crystallized a philosophical idea that I’m quite passionate about. This blog is an effort to develop and refine the concept, while hopefully sharing it with others.

 

The idea is Universal Arête.  Arête is a tremendously insightful ancient Greek word meaning “excellence” or “virtue”.  Fundamentally, it implies the highest quality state something can reach.

 

Universal arête is the actualization of humankind functioning at its highest level of excellence and virtue with every individual in the world contributing to and benefiting from the fabric of society.

 

To achieve this goal of universal arête, I believe the cornerstone concept is to harness and unleash our genius, a quality mankind is uniquely endowed with.  In my mind, there are two ways to define genius; heroic genius, and individual genius.

 

Heroic genius is found in those individuals with supremely rare talents that enable them to create and express ideas that elevate or transform the endeavor they participate in.   I’ve long been fascinated by heroic geniuses and marveled at their transformational impact on our society. Abraham Lincoln, Pablo Picasso, Leo Tolstoy, Albert Einstein, Henry Ford, Steve Jobs are just a few names that jump to mind that have fundamentally changed our world. Without these heroes, our world becomes stagnant and fragile.

 

Individual genius is the unique talent/capability that every human being intrinsically possesses, which if nurtured correctly can come to fruition to benefit society and the individual’s connection to society.  Individual genius may not transform or elevate society, but it fundamentally provides the foundation for a healthy and vibrant society where each individual is progressing towards a state of self-actualization and integration into the vast tapestry of humanity.

 

Unfortunately, I believe that humanity’s pendulum of value has swung dramatically in favor of the heroic genius and away from the individual genius.  This swinging trend began with good intentions, born out of the Enlightenment period’s desire for progress and discovery.  The trend blossomed during the Industrial Revolution, changing the lives of millions generally for the better.  The current Technological and Globalization period has further accelerated the pendulum’s speed towards valuing heroic genius disproportionately.  As a result, one can’t help but be increasingly aware of a growing sense that outside of heroic geniuses and economically privileged individuals, that the rest of mankind feels a sense of despair and hopelessness and a growing belief that their lives don’t matter.  Clearly, this is not a conducive mental atmosphere for the emergence of universal arête.

 

Humanity’s pendulum of value must return to a more balanced assessment of the worth of heroic genius and individual genius.  Consilience is a tremendous concept, which implies the successful unification of independent and often unrelated sources to converge and create stronger outcomes.  I believe fundamentally that the consilience between heroic genius and individual genius is a grand and unifying endeavor our society should be relentlessly pursuing.

 

Consilience and balance between these two concepts of genius will not come easily.  The lines drawn in the sand separating the two from a political, scientific, philosophical, and economic perspective have all hardened and become subject to varying degrees of extremism.  As a result, the evolution of society towards one that ultimately values and supports heroic genius and individual genius appropriately will be painful and slow.  This evolution is a bridge that has not yet broken ground.  The first strikes to destroy the boundaries between these two ideals must be made to begin the arduous work required to build the bridge of consilience.  It will take many thinkers to strike down the walls and rebuild.  I believe I hold one of those hammers in my hand, and am preparing to swing it.