Hubris - Revision history

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The English word ''''hubris'''' – pronounced with the stress on the first syllable {{IPA|‘hjuː brɪs}} and sometimes spelt ''''hybris'''' - is a [[transliteration]] of the Classical Greek ὕβρις (''hubris''). Although both the English word and its Greek ancestor may be said to mean ‘pride’ or ‘arrogance’, the two words are used in significantly different ways.

In contemporary English '''hubris''' is an excessive or misplaced pride in one’s abilities or achievements, an over-confidence in one’s powers, a fault of character which can make a person over-ambitious, keen to attempt more than they should, and willing to ignore moral constraints in the pursuit of their objectives. '''Hubris''', so understood, may well lead to bad consequences for the person who behaves '''hubristically''': it is the pride that comes before a fall, and is sometimes identified in contemporary discussions of tragic drama, ancient and modern, as the fatal flaw of character which leads to the downfall of the tragic protagonist – though see further below.

In Classical Greek ὕβρις (''hubris'') is violent behaviour resulting from strong emotion, lust, or the agent’s sense of, and pride in, their own superiority. The word was primarily a legal term, applicable to all the more serious injuries that one person might inflict on another and to sexual offences. [[Aristotle]]’s account of '''hubris''' in his ''Rhetoric'' is often quoted: ‘What is distinctive [of '''hubris'''] is humiliating others: '''hubris''' consists in causing injury or annoyance whereby the sufferer is disgraced, not to obtain any other advantage for oneself besides the performance of the act, but for one’s own pleasure .... The cause of the pleasure felt by those who act '''hubristically''' is the idea that, in ill treating others, they are more fully showing superiority’ ([[Aristotle]], Rhetoric, II 2, 1378b). A well-known case of '''hubris''' was the physical assault which Meidias, a wealthy and influential Athenian, launched in 353 BCE on his enemy, the Athenian orator [[Demosthenes]], while the latter was engaged in celebrating a religious ritual.

Clearly, whatever the similarities between them, one difference between the Classical Greek concept of '''hubris''' and the contemporary concept is that the former necessarily involves a victim, someone whom the '''hubristic''' person treats badly, whereas '''hubris''' as we understand it today, insofar as it does not essentially involve the idea of treating someone else badly, may involve no bad consequences for anyone apart from the agent.

Finally, it may be noted that although some modern discussions of [[Greek]] [[tragedy]] appeal to the (contemporary concept of) hubris in identifying the flaw of character responsible for the tragic hero’s downfall, the word '''hubris''' is conspicuous by its absence from [[Aristotle]]’s seminal discussion of tragic drama in his ''Poetics''.

[[Category:Greek]][[Category::Etymology]][[Category:Greek literature]]

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 In Classical Greek ὕβρις (''hubris'') is violent behaviour resulting from strong emotion, lust, or the agent’s sense of, and pride in, their own superiority. The word was primarily a legal term, applicable to all the more serious injuries that one person might inflict on another and to sexual offences. [[Aristotle]]’s account of '''hubris''' in his ''Rhetoric'' is often quoted: ‘What is distinctive [of '''hubris'''] is humiliating others: '''hubris''' consists in causing injury or annoyance whereby the sufferer is disgraced, not to obtain any other advantage for oneself besides the performance of the act, but for one’s own pleasure .... The cause of the pleasure felt by those who act '''hubristically''' is the idea that, in ill treating others, they are more fully showing superiority’ ([[Aristotle]], Rhetoric, II 2, 1378b). A well-known case of '''hubris''' was the physical assault which Meidias, a wealthy and influential Athenian, launched in 353 BCE on his enemy, the Athenian orator [[Demosthenes]], while the latter was engaged in celebrating a religious ritual.
-Clearly, whatever the similarities between them, one difference between the Classical Greek concept of '''hubris''' and the contemporary concept is that the former necessarily involves a victim, someone whom the '''hubristic''' person treats badly, whereas '''hubris''' as we understand it today, insofar as it does not essentially involve the idea of treating someone else badly, may involve no bad consequences for anyone apart from the agent.
+Clearly, whatever the similarities between them, one difference between the Classical Greek concept of '''hubris''' and the contemporary concept is that the former necessarily involves a victim, someone whom the '''hubristic''' person treats badly, whereas '''hubris''' as we understand it today, insofar as it does not essentially involve the idea of treating someone else badly, may have no bad consequences for anyone apart from the agent.
 Finally, it may be noted that although some modern discussions of [[Greek]] [[tragedy]] appeal to (the contemporary concept of) '''hubris''' in identifying the flaw of character responsible for the tragic hero’s downfall, the word '''hubris''' is conspicuous by its absence from [[Aristotle]]’s seminal discussion of tragic drama in his ''Poetics''.
 [[Category:Greek]][[Category:Etymology]][[Category:Greek literature]]

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−	The English word ''''hubris'''' – pronounced with the stress on the first syllable {{IPA\|‘hjuː brɪs}} and sometimes spelt ''''hybris'''' - is a [[transliteration]] of the Classical Greek ὕβρις (''hubris''). Although both the English word and its Greek ancestor may be said to mean ‘pride’ or ‘arrogance’, the two words are used in significantly different ways.	+	The English word ''''hubris'''' – pronounced with the stress on the first syllable ({{IPA\|‘hjuː brɪs}}) and sometimes spelt ''''hybris'''' - is a [[transliteration]] of the Classical Greek ὕβρις (''hubris''). Although both the English word and its Greek ancestor may be said to mean ‘pride’ or ‘arrogance’, the two words are used in significantly different ways.

	In contemporary English '''hubris''' is an excessive or misplaced pride in one’s abilities or achievements, an over-confidence in one’s powers - a fault of character which can make a person over-ambitious, keen to attempt more than they should, and willing to ignore moral constraints in the pursuit of their objectives. '''Hubris''', so understood, may well lead to bad consequences for the person who behaves '''hubristically''' - and for others: it is the pride that comes before a fall, and is sometimes identified in contemporary discussions of tragic drama, ancient and modern, as the fatal flaw of character which leads to the downfall of the tragic protagonist – though see further below.		In contemporary English '''hubris''' is an excessive or misplaced pride in one’s abilities or achievements, an over-confidence in one’s powers - a fault of character which can make a person over-ambitious, keen to attempt more than they should, and willing to ignore moral constraints in the pursuit of their objectives. '''Hubris''', so understood, may well lead to bad consequences for the person who behaves '''hubristically''' - and for others: it is the pride that comes before a fall, and is sometimes identified in contemporary discussions of tragic drama, ancient and modern, as the fatal flaw of character which leads to the downfall of the tragic protagonist – though see further below.

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 The English word ''''hubris'''' – pronounced with the stress on the first syllable {{IPA|‘hjuː brɪs}} and sometimes spelt ''''hybris'''' - is a [[transliteration]] of the Classical Greek ὕβρις (''hubris''). Although both the English word and its Greek ancestor may be said to mean ‘pride’ or ‘arrogance’, the two words are used in significantly different ways.
-In contemporary English '''hubris''' is an excessive or misplaced pride in one’s abilities or achievements, an over-confidence in one’s powers - a fault of character which can make a person over-ambitious, keen to attempt more than they should, and willing to ignore moral constraints in the pursuit of their objectives. '''Hubris''', so understood, may well lead to bad consequences for the person who behaves '''hubristically''': it is the pride that comes before a fall, and is sometimes identified in contemporary discussions of tragic drama, ancient and modern, as the fatal flaw of character which leads to the downfall of the tragic protagonist – though see further below.
+In contemporary English '''hubris''' is an excessive or misplaced pride in one’s abilities or achievements, an over-confidence in one’s powers - a fault of character which can make a person over-ambitious, keen to attempt more than they should, and willing to ignore moral constraints in the pursuit of their objectives. '''Hubris''', so understood, may well lead to bad consequences for the person who behaves '''hubristically''' - and for others: it is the pride that comes before a fall, and is sometimes identified in contemporary discussions of tragic drama, ancient and modern, as the fatal flaw of character which leads to the downfall of the tragic protagonist – though see further below.
 In Classical Greek ὕβρις (''hubris'') is violent behaviour resulting from strong emotion, lust, or the agent’s sense of, and pride in, their own superiority. The word was primarily a legal term, applicable to all the more serious injuries that one person might inflict on another and to sexual offences. [[Aristotle]]’s account of '''hubris''' in his ''Rhetoric'' is often quoted: ‘What is distinctive [of '''hubris'''] is humiliating others: '''hubris''' consists in causing injury or annoyance whereby the sufferer is disgraced, not to obtain any other advantage for oneself besides the performance of the act, but for one’s own pleasure .... The cause of the pleasure felt by those who act '''hubristically''' is the idea that, in ill treating others, they are more fully showing superiority’ ([[Aristotle]], Rhetoric, II 2, 1378b). A well-known case of '''hubris''' was the physical assault which Meidias, a wealthy and influential Athenian, launched in 353 BCE on his enemy, the Athenian orator [[Demosthenes]], while the latter was engaged in celebrating a religious ritual.