Introduction

What do you think about when you think of the word ‘honour’?

Perhaps images of chivalric knights come to mind, or a dramatic standoff between two men aiming pistols at each other. Certainly, the concept of honour doesn’t quite reach into the modern age, except in a negative connotation, usually in conjunction with violence.

Honour is a quality that encompasses social, cultural, and personal values and manifests itself as a behavioural code. One’s honour serves to determine one’s self-esteem; this is also referred to as internal honour. Honour also sets the precedent for others’ perception of oneself and this is referred to as external honour. In its most basic form, a person’s honour increases or decreases in accordance with their adherence to the code of honour, and these can be imposed from within or from without.

The honour code represents a set of unwritten rules that are to be followed in order to preserve and elevate one’s honour. The main factors that influence honour are values that strengthen the cohesion and homogeneity of a society: courage, chivalry, generosity, compassion, and purity.

In ages past, honour has mattered significantly. For honour was instrumental in the way people perceived and treated one another (within equivalent strata of society). Honourable people were respected and given certain privileges, whereas dishonourable people were mistreated and shunned.

Perhaps one of the earliest examples of an honour code is the code of Hammurabi. The code is attributed to the ancient Babylonian king and dates back to 1750 BCE. It is likely that the principle of an ‘eye for an eye’ originated here as it predates the bible.

In that same vein, other societies, too, legally sanctioned the settlement of honour disputes between individuals. In Europe, this continued all the way through the Middle Ages and well into the Industrial Age by way of the judicial duel. At its zenith, honour played such a significant role in people’s lives that both men and women were willing to risk death for it.

Gradually, however, the concept of one’s honour and the need to defend it lost appeal and was eventually overshadowed to the point of insignificance, as is the case in the modern day. Though many attempts had previously been made to stop duelling, the practice continued until 1844, when it was effectively banned. Despite this, the last duel on English soil took place between two French political exiles in the year 1852 (more here).

Although the concept of honour is now considered old-fashioned, some of its principles are still relevant and can be implemented to live a more elevated life. In this post I’ll investigate the significance of honour and how we can apply it in the modern day to live a more fulfilling life.

The origins of honour

Honour constitutes a code of unwritten laws that predominates in pre-industrialised societies. There are three main factors that must be fulfilled for an honour culture to take place (Culture of honour; Nisbett):

• A lack of resources
• A lack of law enforcement
• A situation in which the benefits of crime outweigh the risks.

Societies that do not have centralised authorities rely on honour codes to prevent disorder and injustice within the community. Those that have been wronged are able to exact justice by the principle of ‘an eye for an eye’ – a core tenet of honour codes.

Defining the principles of honour cultures

As mentioned previously honour can be divided into two kinds: internal and external. Both types of honour are negatively reinforced by shame and positively reinforced by pride.

Internal honour represents the tracking of one’s conscience with the imposed social norms. In this context, when we feel that we are living in harmony with the social norms we feel a sense of personal security and pride. Likewise, not living up to these expectations gives rise to a sense of shame within.

External honour represents the evaluation of our actions based on the values of the immediate community we are involved in or the wider society as a whole; it is closely linked to reputation. In this instance, our honour is based on actions that increase or decrease our standing within society. What increases or decreases our honour is linked to the imposed societal and cultural norms based on our cultural identity.

For example: Historically, a man’s honour was often determined by his courage and inclination to defend his country during wars. Those who risked their lives willingly were deemed to be honourable, whereas those who shied away from such activities were deemed to be unhonourable.

Today, the trappings of honour have all but decayed to the point of insignificance. Nevertheless, the vestiges of honour are still alive and well. Modern Western societies are characterised by an emphasis on individualism, and therefore greatly stress the importance of self-esteem, that which was once known as internal honour.

Coming to terms with honour

Although external honour and gentlemanly values have lost their lustre, it’s not to say that they were not potent values. Considering the continuing decadence of the modern day and the decline in general social etiquette (just look around you), who is to say that we won’t be better off with embodying some principles of old-timey honour?

Perhaps, the best course of action would be to align our sense of internal honour with our (perceived) external honour. This is easier said than done, however, as many of us experience a disparity between our conscious self and our portrayed persona. This notion is reflected in the many cases of ‘imposter syndrome’ that we frequently hear about today. Conversely, having self-esteem but no reputation gives rise to hubris. Therefore, it bodes well to adopt a mode of behaviour that is conducive to good self-esteem and reputation (read more about personal judgment and how it can help here).

Honour in the modern day

I believe that the concept of honour should play a significant role in our lives. Not in the archaic way of defending one’s honour if one is dishonoured, nor to maintain chaste for fear of punishment, but rather to strive for ideals that might make us more noble and ultimately better individuals.

The decline of honour in modernity

The principles of honourable behaviour are no longer enforced by external means. Instead, we have adopted vestiges of honourable behaviour, e.g. good manners and politeness, but without internalising the underlying principles that drive them. So, unless we consciously work on our principles and pursue what we value and think is honourable, we will not be able to maintain an internal honour system.

To illustrate my point: honour and manners are closely linked together, and nowhere will you find poorer manners than in a large metropolitan city. Such a place is characterised by a large flux of people, constantly weaving in and out of the numerous streets that pave its surface. With this degree of anonymity, there is simply no incentive to pay respect or to act pleasantly towards the numerous strangers that one encounters on any given day – it would be inconvenient to do so. There is no external pressure to encourage one to act decently. Instead, one must consciously act from within to act with decency.

A call to honour

The average person is unlikely to act without the driving forces of external pressures or incentives. Likewise, most people usually prefer the path of least effort. But to live honourably is to defy both. As honourable people, we must cultivate a conscious desire to act from within – to create and maintain an initiative. Therefore, let this be a call to action for everyone that feels the same way.

To quote Seneca on the matter:

How much better to pursue a straight course and eventually reach that destination where the things that are pleasant are the things that are honourable finally become, for you, the same.

To Seneca, as to the Stoics, honour and virtue were synonymous. Since then, not much has changed in terms of the human psyche. The feelings elicited from a sense of personal honour are still fundamental wellsprings that drive us to live a good and passionate life. Rather, what has changed are the laws of the state and the values of our society. So too has the perception of honour changed – now exiled into the annals of history and the minds of fellow eccentrics.

Though duelling might never have been a good idea, the concept of personal honour and our protectiveness over it is something that should be brought back en masse.

With that being said, I challenge you – not to a duel, mind you – but to a personal moment of self-reflection: what do you consider honourable and are you capable of protecting it with your current means?

Conclusion

Those who advocate for honour in the modern day might be regarded as eccentrics belonging to the past. Perhaps this is rightly so, as honour is a code that arose as a necessity in societies that lacked a central authority and where governing bodies could not effectively administer punishments. Instead, society relied on its members to mete out punishments in the form of shame and rewards in the form of pride.

Although the origins and practises of honour-based cultures are now considered archaic, some of the principles that make up the concept of honour remain useful to the individual who seeks to live the good life.

Even so, honour cannot be entirely escaped in the modern day as certain vestiges are still alive and well. Both concepts of internal honour and external honour have simply transmuted into their modern counterparts: self-esteem and reputation.

Nevertheless, what I advocate for is a profound sense of personal honour – removed from the watchful eyes of society. The sense of honour that makes one proud to pursue ideals that are hard to come by today. Whereas others might be enthralled by the desire to accumulate as much wealth as possible, or to consume as much content as possible, I’m certain that there are a few of us who can look beyond that which is commonly done, and strive for the values that don’t gild our bank accounts, but rather, our personalities.

I’m talking of such matters as strengthening our resolve, fulfilling our creative potential, and of course, the tireless pursuit of the quest for meaning in an inherently meaningless world.