I've had a few thoughts in the back of my head since our discussion on Thursday about codes of Honor. For many people hold a code of conduct dear to themselves. You see it a lot in mafia movies, where you have blood vengeance and other acts that are centered around family.
Systems or codes of honor seem to develop most in areas rife with conflict, or in places where sudden violence is something that people fear could ensue at any time. It seems that it comes back to the family each and every time. Protecting the family, saving the family, ensuring the survival of the family. One thing that this reminds me of is something from the Game of Thrones TV, one of the characters is the head of one of the noble houses and he is reminding his son that when he is dead and gone what survives is the family name. There will be those who carry the family name to future generations, and that the actions of the individual members of the family need to look to the survival of the family.
I feel like this reasoning could be a central root of the blood and honor mentality of the south. You've got a lot of people who care more about the purity and honor of the family name than they do about the people around them. Though it might be a more aristocratic mentality, it might be a significant contributor to the system of Blood and Honor.
I think this is a very interesting insight. I agree that this could have been a central root of the south as well. In not only families, but also various ethnic groups or groups of some who live geographically close to each other there seems to be some form of a code of honor that deals with violence. I believe that Deven had a very important insight when he brought up the theory of tough minded people versus those who are tender minded. I feel that there are more tender minded people in the world than tough minded, which is partially why Lincoln was misunderstood during his time.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that a cultural norm or practice can often spawn from what is practically the most effective way of ensuring survival and prosperous living of the in-power groups. Aristocracy ensured a concentration of power and wealth that was essential to ensure the survival of slavery; notwithstanding the moral atrocities of this practice, it seems clear that this was the most effective way in ensuring the cultural identity of the Aristocratic South and slavery.
ReplyDeleteHi Rob,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you completely. It does appear as though “a central root of the blood and honor mentality of the south” was present and a probable cause for the action of the south during Lincoln’s presidency. Gopnik touches upon this when he mentioned the feud that Mark Twain depicted in Huckleberry Finn between the Grangerfords and the Shepherdsons. My question is, what causes a group of people to feel the need to defend their honor and their family’s honor by killing other people? This system of blood and honor tends to lead to more hatred and casualties than is necessary to solve the problem. I find myself in disagreement with this type of lifestyle, and find it hard to believe that it is still present in the United States today. A documentary about the gang MS 13 is worth watching, and may be of interest to you. Here is the link: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/explorer/videos/worlds-most-dangerous-gang/.
These are good examples of how codes of honor that are two narrowly focused (i.e. not universalized, as in Kant's procedure) are often very dangerous and destructive things. Lincoln is not opposed to honor as such, but he sees the need for it to extend to a 'family' that includes everyone.
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