For the Biblical Alpha project, there must be an operational definition of alpha for the posts to make any sense.

One classic definition in the manosphere is Roissy’s (it even comes with a handy chart):

Make no mistake, at the most fundamental level the CRUX of a man’s worth is measured by his desirability to women, whether he chooses to play the game or not… It hits on the three major factors influencing male rank — how hot are the women he can attract, how strong is that attraction for him, and how many of those women find him attractive.

This definition would not really work for the project. While the notch count of some in the Bible, such as Solomon with a stunning 700 wives and 300 concubines, are available, most do not have one available. In addition, most Biblical heroes were under an anti-fornication/adultery moral code, which they admittedly often fell far short of, but which would have limited the amount of partners they would have, and there is no way to know how much female attention they could potentially have pulled.

So, I will not be using sexual results as the primary measure of alphaness. Instead, I will measure alphaness by the behaviour game tries to emulate. The alpha traits of social and physical dominance and leadership and the four tactical virtues that define manhood from Jack Donovan’s The Way of Men (review to come): strength, courage, mastery, and honour.

A man who demonstrates these virtues will be considered alpha; one who doesn’t will be considered beta.

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Now I know the alpha/beta distinction is debated relentlessly, but I’m not really gonna get involved. Some of you may disagree with the way I’m defining it and are free to say so in the comments. I’m not here for the next couple of weeks, so I won’t respond, but, you can bicker among yourselves. The next few posts in this series are already written.

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For the Christians who may come across this, but do not really know of the alpha/beta distinction, being alpha is morally neutral in and of itself. As Jack Donovan wrote, “there is a difference between being a good man and being good at being a man.” So, David having sex with Bathsheba was alpha, even if it was a sin. Just because I write that something is “alpha” or something else is “beta” does not necessarily make the former “good” and the latter “bad” in a moral sense and does not indicate whether I, or the Bible/God for that matter, approve or disapprove of the action.