Platoâs arete is well described in his Republic where the conversation about the nature of justice and the ideal balance of the state and soul, along with nearly every metaphor in the book, all center around finding a perfect balance, an arete of state and soul.
Spreading throughout the Mediterranean and Europe, the Black Death is estimated to have killed 30â60% of Europe's total population. In total, the plague reduced the world population from an estimated 450 million down to 350â375 million in the 14th century.
Plague recurrences. Black Death grave Â© On average, between 30-45% of the general populace died in the Black Death of 1348-50. But in some villages, 80% or 90% of the population died (and in Kilkenny at least, it seems likely that the death-rate was 100%!).