Legal and religious systems provide rules for living, telling us – often in very concrete terms – what we are and are not permitted to do. Break the rules and you go to jail, get fined, face censure, either on Earth or in the afterlife. By contrast, honour codes inform human action by trafficking in that intangible – but essential – currency: respect. In The Honor Code, the British-born Ghanaian philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah outlines a plan for social change that targets the concept of honour.
How to swing honour away from killing and towards peace
Director: Katy Chevigny
18 July 2014
videoEthics
Can a lie ever be noble? Why Kant believed even a life-saving fib was immoral
2 minutes
videoCognition and intelligence
Why it’s so easy to cheat without feeling dishonest
11 minutes
videoValues and beliefs
A samurai rulebook offers guidance on how to kill enemies and refrain from gossip
20 minutes
videoEthics
All’s not well that ends well – why Kant centred morality on motives, not outcomes
55 minutes
videoEthics
A deathbed scenario raises the question: how much power should a promise hold?
5 minutes
videoThinkers and theories
Why Confucius believed that honouring your ancestors is central to social harmony
2 minutes
videoHuman rights and justice
Beyond ‘guilty’ or ‘not guilty’ – could a range of verdict options be more just?
9 minutes
videoEthics
If soldiers act with unjust aggression they are as culpable as civilian criminals
6 minutes
videoPhilosophy of religion
Religion helps forge communities and gives us purpose. How will we replace it?
3 minutes