#the honor code

The Honor Code (Kwame Anthony Appiah)

“Now to be respected is to be respected by somebody; and usually, honor does not seek the respect of people in general. 

What matters is the respect of some particular social group, what you can call an honor world, a group of people who acknowledge the same codes.

But while honor is, indeed, an entitlement to respect, a person of honor cares not (or, at least, not only) about being respected, but about being worthy of respect.

For the honorable person, honor itself is the thing that matters, not honor’s rewards. It is something you care about for its own sake.

You want respect, but only the respect you are entitled to.

Confucius, in Analects 4:14, expressed exactly this basic contrast long ago: “I am not concerned that I am not known, I seek to be worthy to be known.”

A final element of the picture, then: an honorable person wants to do what is worthy of respect according to the honor code, and doesn’t conform to the code of honor merely in order to get respect from the honor world (let alone, any other social rewards).

Kwame Anthony Appiah discusses honor codes in the past and today. Appiah's book, "The Honor Code," is the subject of the first Princeton Pre-read program.

Director Katy Chevigny world premiered her three minute documentary film "The Honor Code" during our “Short Films, Big Ideas” screening at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival. Her film examines the philosopher many have referred to as a “modern day Socrates," and his unique approach to altering our social perception of "honor" as a means to resolving conflict in modern societies. 

Philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah believes we can change the way specific cultures think about what is considered honorable, citing the barbaric practice of honor killings. Appiah discusses how traditions such as dueling and the ancient Chinese custom of foot-binding faded once society's perception of these practices had shifted to disgrace and absurdity. 

His book, "The Honor Code: How Moral Revolutions Happen," is a New York Times Bestseller. If you ‘d like to learn about Appiah’s philosophy without committing to a lengthy (although fascinating) read, we recommend checking out the film. 

"Know your rights."

"Acknowledge your sources."

"Protect your work."

"Avoid suspicion."

"Do your own work."

"Never falsify a record or permit another person to do so."

"Never fabricate data, citations, or experimental results."

"Always tell the truth when discussing your work with your instructor."

The Honor Code

by Katy Chevigny

If we change the way we think about honor, could we make the world a better place? Philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah proves we can in The Honor Code.

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Check out more films in the Focus Forward series here

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