Final answer:
Excellence or arête of an object is directly related to how well it fulfills its intended function; for example, the excellence of a teacup is in its ability to hold tea.
Step-by-step explanation:
When discussing the relationship between excellences and a thing's good, it's beneficial to choose an object other than a human to illustrate this concept clearly. Consider, for instance, a teacup, whose arête, or excellence, is found in its ability to hold tea effectively. The higher the level of excellence, the better a teacup serves its function. The ancient Greek philosophers like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle understood virtue or excellence (arête) as an objective measure tied directly to an object's purpose. Consequently, the arête of a knife is in its sharpness, as a good knife is characterized by its ability to cut. Through these examples, we can see that excellence is intrinsic to an object's function and is thus considered its good.