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The politics of modern honor

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Abstract

Modern honor appears to be distinguished by two contradictory impulses, a neglect or even disdain of honor, and an ambition to elevate and promote it as dignity, self-esteem, and recognition. The article argues that these tensions can be traced to a foundational difference regarding the political importance of the passion of honor, evident in the seminal and contending formulations by Machiavelli and Hobbes. In recovering and articulating the bases of these competing modern conceptions of honor and tracing the influence of their divergent trajectories, the article seeks to show the importance of honor for understanding contemporary politics.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Governance and Public Policy, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, Australia

    Haig Patapan

  2. School of Government and International Relations, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, Australia

    Haig Patapan

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  1. Haig Patapan
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Correspondence to Haig Patapan.

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Patapan, H. The politics of modern honor. Contemp Polit Theory 17, 459–477 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41296-017-0187-y

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