Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Evangelical
Why Honor Matters is a must read. Here’s why.

Why Honor Matters is a must read. Here’s why.

Last updated on: July 25, 2018 at 6:23 am by Brad Vaughn

Why Honor Matters is a must read. Here’s why. 2018-07-25T06:23:07-07:00 Brad Vaughn

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Why Honor Matters will be one of the most significant and controversial books of the year.

I waited almost a year to receive my copy of Tamler Sommers’ Why Honor Matters. I was not disappointed. It is now one of my favorite books on honor and shame. And, as you might know, I’ve read a lot of them, having written my dissertation and other publications on the subject.

A Practical Perspective

The author is a philosophy professor at the University of Houston. Don’t get the wrong idea, though, as this is not a book of dry academic philosophy. Sommers writes with a broader audience in mind. I found myself laughing out loud many times.

Before finishing the Prologue, I already knew I was reading something special. The book could easily have been titled The Ethics of Honor, since it deals with several practical implications of honor, particularly in a Western context. In critiquing common ethical perspectives in the West, he writes,

They try to show what an ideal society of rational agents would look like. The elegance and simplicity of their theories mislead us into thinking that their principles, properly applied, will result in a perfectly just society…. The more abstract and simple the theory, the less it can tell us about our actual lives and struggles.

…Honor, unlike dignity, is not abstract; it’s grounded in fact. Honor is real only when people recognize and acknowledge it. Honor codes are local, not universal, tailored to the particular needs of each community. Most important, honor codes are tailored to people as they are, not how we wish them to be or how we imagine they would be if they were “rational.” Honor is full of compromises; it deals in grays rather than black and white. It seeks better alternatives, not ideal alternatives. In short, honor is a thoroughly nonideal form of value, which allows it to operate with a more accurate understanding of human psychology.

Throughout the book I’ll try to convince you that these two aspects of honor—its attractive virtues and the unsystematic nature of its codes—are intimately connected. Honor frameworks recognize that it’s not easy to be virtuous: to take risks and act with integrity and solidarity. (p. 8)

Such a realistic perspective permeates the book. Sommers does not pit one view against another as though honor represented one of two mutually exclusive alternatives.

Defining “Honor”

Sommers aptly notes why many people struggle with the concept of honor. He says,

Part of the problem, especially for philosophers, is that honor is so hard to pin down. Philosophers like their concepts crisp and definable. The dominant approach in philosophy is called conceptual analysis: an attempt to come up with necessary and sufficient conditions that capture every instance that the concept is used. Honor emphatically resists this kind of approach….

But “undefinable” isn’t the same as “unreal.” (p. 4–5)

One reason people struggle to define “honor” is that a wide range of scholars from different disciplines has written on the topic. This is why I wrote “Have Theologians No Sense of Shame” (published in the upcoming August 2018 issue of Themelios). In the article, I explore ways the Bible helps us synthesize various aspects of honor and shame.

The Virtues of Honor

Rather than define honor, he explains how it manifests in practice. Sommers highlights the virtues of an honor perspective. Never losing sight of the limitations of honor, he argues for an integration of perspectives, combining the best of what he labels “honor” and “dignity.”

When it comes to honor, we’re positively schizophrenic. On the one hand, we have deep nostalgia for the honorable way of life. Whole genres of literature and film feed off this nostalgia. Not just mob movies, but westerns, film noir, revenge stories, Jane Austen novels, even musicals (think Hamilton). The virtues associated with honor such as courage, loyalty, solidarity, accountability, and integrity are precisely what we find lacking in the modern world. (p. 2)

He adds,

Courage, integrity, solidarity, drama, hospitality, a sense of purpose and meaning—these are attractive values and characteristics, important for living a good and worthwhile life. (p. 7)

What about traditional Western views of morality? Sommers says,

At its best, it produces a society with more equal treatment, one that respects its citizens and allows them to pursue their interests and goals without interference.

But liberal Enlightenment morality is not perfect, and it’s not sufficient. It can also lead to increasing alienation, selfish individualism, and a high-minded disregard for the struggles and suffering of others. (p. 9)

Why Honor Matters Matters

This post is a mere introduction to Why Honor Matters. Future posts will highlight selective portions of the book. There’s no need to wait until later posts to check out his book…. trust me, you will want to read this for yourself.

To conclude, I include the Table of Contents below for your benefit.

PROLOGUE: Honor Matters

CHAPTER ONE: Contours of Honor

CHAPTER TWO: Living Without Honor

CHAPTER THREE: Honor and Community

CHAPTER FOUR: Violence and Aggression

CHAPTER FIVE: Honor and Revenge

CHAPTER SIX: Honorable Justice

CHAPTER SEVEN: Honor Contained

Previous Post

July 18, 2018

7 Dangers for Missionaries from Guilt-Innocence Cultures

Next Post

August 1, 2018 How Honor Motives Moral Behavior

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Atonement Biblical Theology Book Reviews China Chinese Church Chinese Culture Chinese Language Collectivism Contextualization Culture (General) Ecclesiology Evangelism Gospel Honor & Shame (Face) Interpretation/Exegesis Justification/Righteousness Missiology Mission Methods One Gospel for All Nations Other Practical Contextualization Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes Resources Romans Salvation (General) Saving God's Face Seeking God's Face The Cross in Context Theological Contextualization Theological Education Theology Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

In what city was Jesus born?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Capernaum Bethlehem Nazareth Jerusalem

Books by This Author Books by Brad Vaughn

See All Titles »