| dc.description.abstract | I argue that our modern ethical conceptions suffer by largely divorcing ethics from the rest of human life and treating it as just one possible concern among others. Rejecting a strong distinction between moral and non-moral spheres, an ethics of honor instead embodies a holistic conception of human excellence based in worthiness and a functional moral identity in which virtues and duties proceed from who and what we are. In part by examining warrior codes through history and literature, such as Chivalry, Bushido, and those surrounding groups such as Homeric fighters, the Crow Indians, and the Marines, we can see a common pattern of ethical demands arising from a conjunction of pride, integrity, social role, and reputation. The links between these concepts form the basis for honor, which I also identify as belonging to the realms of heroism and the perfectibility of human nature. Whether in terms of warriors or other domains, what characterizes heroism in this sense is the conception of one's self as both character and author of a narrative in which one's being is self-consciously a statement of what it is to be excellent. The person of honor understands his life in terms of achieving human greatness from within a particular role in a larger, interconnected story. As an ethics of being, honor offers a superior conception of morality both in general and in terms of moral motivation, and provides a crucial framework for the realization of individual virtue intertwined with the good of a community. By reunifying the fractured pieces of honor, I argue that we restore lost connections between morality, self-worth, and the good human life as a whole. | |
