Kalos Kagathos
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Kalos Kagathos (καλός κἀγαθός, IPA Template:IPA), sometimes written kalokagathos or kalos kai agathos, is an idiomatic phrase used in ancient Greek literature (including philosophy and historiography), attested since in the classical period. The phrase is adjectival, composed of two adjectives, καλός and ἀγαθός (of which κἀγαθός is the crasis with καί, "and").
Uses
The phrase could be used both in a generic sense, or with certain specific force. As a generic term, it may have been used as the combination of distinct virtues, which we might translate as "beauty and prudence", or the intersection of the two words "good" or "upstanding". In either case, there was almost certainly an element of holistic praise of the character of the individual in question. More specifically, the phrase may have been used as a euphemism for a citizen who had been killed during active military service on behalf of his city-state (polis). Since classical Greece was a highly militarised and divided area, with each city having its own civilian army, and with wars between cities bringing annual territorial threats, the phrase would have received much use in this context, and would have contributed to the linking of individuals' social standing to their duties with regard to their respective city-states. Translations such as "gentleman" or "knight" have traditionally been suggested to convey the social aspect of the phrase, while "war hero" or the more cynical "martyr" are more recent versions, and emphasise the military element.
Καλός
The adjective καλός encompasses meanings equivalent to English "good", "noble", and "handsome". The form given by convention is the masculine, but it was equally used of women (the feminine form is καλή) and could also describe animals or inanimate objects. Plato, in his work Republic, used the term τό καλόν (the neuter form) in his attempts to define ideals - although it should be noted that his protagonist (some would say 'mouthpiece') in the dialogue, Socrates, stated that he did not fully comprehend the nature of this καλόν.
Ἀγαθός
This second adjective had no particular physical or aesthetic connotations, but described a person's bravery or ethics. Again, around the 4th Century, it had become politically loaded, and carried implications of dutiful citizenship.
In relation to other terms
Kalokagathos presents an antonymy to the example set by Homer's character Thersites. Thersites, as described in book two of the Iliad, “was the ugliest man that marched on Troy”. Homer apparently portrays his physical ugliness as manifestation of his moral repugnance, and he was criticised for his seditious talk as “a reviler of kings”, and a buffoon derided by the Achaean heroes. Note that an alternative reading of the text suggests that the cruelty of Odysseus towards Theristes and, in particular, the grounds on which he is dismissed, actually highlight the hypocrisy of his critics. A concept which underwent similar changes was that of ἀρέτη, or arete, a noun which could include such concepts as moral piety, chastity, and kindness, but also (in Homer) ability and fighting prowess: yet it was used by Plato in some dialogues (citation needed) to mean rhetorical skill.
See also
Bibliography
- Paideia, The Ideals of Greek Culture, Werner Jaeger, trans. By Gilbert Highet, Oxford University Press, NY, 1945.de:Kalokagathia