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florismeertens's review against another edition
Boeiend filosofisch betoog over de rol van eer in grote maatschappelijke veranderingen, en hoe wezenlijk eer is ook nog voor ons. Niet de feiten, niet de moraliteit drijft ons tot aanpassen, maar eer en schaamte.
"Eer is dus geen kwijnend relict van een voormoderne orde; voor ons is ze wat ze altijd geweest is, namelijk een motor die wordt aangedreven door de dialoog tussen ons zelfbeeld en de waardering van anderen, en die ons aanzet om onze verantwoordelijkheden serieus op te vatten in een wereld die we gemeen hebben."
Zijn voorbeelden over afgezworen praktijken van slavernij en voetinbinden zijn bemoedigend, maar het hoofdstuk over de nog bestaande eerwraak in Pakistan is misschien wel het allerinteressantst. Ook daar zie je dat de wetgeving en de religieuze moraliteit eigenlijk in strijd zijn met de erecode. Appiah ziet de Islam dan ook als bondgenoot in de strijd tegen de eerwraak.
Dit boek is tevens goed toe te passen op de grootschalige veranderingen die de samenleving om het milieu te beschermen. Het is een warm pleidooi voor vliegschaamte, carnivoorschaamte, autoschaamte, cryptoschaamte, fastfashionschaamte, enzovoorts enzovoorts.
moraleegray's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
2.5
Nothing spectacular but some interesting thought processes. I had hoped for more distinct definitions of honor and morality and without those provided the author customized the historical examples to their liking.
em_brebs's review against another edition
2.0
2.5.
So I wanted to read more nonfiction this year, and this was… fine. Nothing spectacular, and I think that it worked best when it was telling the narrative and not arguing about honor (which, like, I get was actually the whole point of the book, but, for me, ended up being repetitious and kind of boring.) Personally, the amount that I enjoyed the book kind of vacillated. Some chapters were significantly more interesting than others, for me. The writing was fine, some parts were super boring, some parts super interesting. I'm indifferent, mostly.
This book examines three historical (and one current) examples of practices that went out of favor for reasons related to honor. The examples are: dueling in England, foot-binding in China, and Atlantic slave trading. The current example discussed is "honor killings" in Pakistan. A chapter is dedicated to each of these topics and conceptions of honor and its importance are also woven in.
IN DEPTH DISCUSSION!!!!!!
So, for me, the first and last chapters were kind of interminably boring. They existed a lot more in theory land (as far as I could tell and excepting the last two small stories at the end of the last chapter.) I personally preferred the chapters on foot-binding and honor killings.
Foot-binding, because I had a good amount of background knowledge regarding Chinese history of the time, and also it is just a tradition I find super intriguing and also so very separate from how I live my life. Learning the motivations behind why it started (fidelity) and kind of how it spread– it was all just really intriguing.
Also interesting, and more heartbreaking (perhaps because it is more current) was the chapter about honor killings. It worked really well and I felt like it worked more in a tangible way than some of the other chapters (and was more powerful, for that reason.)
The dueling chapter was probably the least interesting for me. I just really couldn't get into it and basically skimmed close to the entire thing.
The one on slavery I think I would have enjoyed more if I hadn't currently been studying it (meaning that it basically felt like homework, which it wasn't, but it felt that way.) Maybe I'll revisit that part of this book another time, but for now it took some effort. (Though the parts about the influence of the Quakers were interesting.)
The writing was a little bit bland, and, again, felt a little bit repetitive? Like, there was a lot of rehashing around the specific kinds of honor (or things that didn't exactly qualify as honor, in here.) I understand that this was meant to be a persuasive piece, but I more wanted to be entertained and informed than persuaded?
Aaaaaaand that's all I have to say. This took me a long time to read and I skimmed lots of it and just found the majority of it pretty boring. The parts that worked, however, I thought were educational and interesting and well done. So, I don't know, but I'm glad that I read it if only for "hey listen to this thing I kind of understand" kind of value.
FFFFIIIIINNNNN!!!!!!!!!!
Ehh: 78%
So I wanted to read more nonfiction this year, and this was… fine. Nothing spectacular, and I think that it worked best when it was telling the narrative and not arguing about honor (which, like, I get was actually the whole point of the book, but, for me, ended up being repetitious and kind of boring.) Personally, the amount that I enjoyed the book kind of vacillated. Some chapters were significantly more interesting than others, for me. The writing was fine, some parts were super boring, some parts super interesting. I'm indifferent, mostly.
This book examines three historical (and one current) examples of practices that went out of favor for reasons related to honor. The examples are: dueling in England, foot-binding in China, and Atlantic slave trading. The current example discussed is "honor killings" in Pakistan. A chapter is dedicated to each of these topics and conceptions of honor and its importance are also woven in.
IN DEPTH DISCUSSION!!!!!!
So, for me, the first and last chapters were kind of interminably boring. They existed a lot more in theory land (as far as I could tell and excepting the last two small stories at the end of the last chapter.) I personally preferred the chapters on foot-binding and honor killings.
Foot-binding, because I had a good amount of background knowledge regarding Chinese history of the time, and also it is just a tradition I find super intriguing and also so very separate from how I live my life. Learning the motivations behind why it started (fidelity) and kind of how it spread– it was all just really intriguing.
Also interesting, and more heartbreaking (perhaps because it is more current) was the chapter about honor killings. It worked really well and I felt like it worked more in a tangible way than some of the other chapters (and was more powerful, for that reason.)
The dueling chapter was probably the least interesting for me. I just really couldn't get into it and basically skimmed close to the entire thing.
The one on slavery I think I would have enjoyed more if I hadn't currently been studying it (meaning that it basically felt like homework, which it wasn't, but it felt that way.) Maybe I'll revisit that part of this book another time, but for now it took some effort. (Though the parts about the influence of the Quakers were interesting.)
The writing was a little bit bland, and, again, felt a little bit repetitive? Like, there was a lot of rehashing around the specific kinds of honor (or things that didn't exactly qualify as honor, in here.) I understand that this was meant to be a persuasive piece, but I more wanted to be entertained and informed than persuaded?
Aaaaaaand that's all I have to say. This took me a long time to read and I skimmed lots of it and just found the majority of it pretty boring. The parts that worked, however, I thought were educational and interesting and well done. So, I don't know, but I'm glad that I read it if only for "hey listen to this thing I kind of understand" kind of value.
FFFFIIIIINNNNN!!!!!!!!!!
Ehh: 78%
katie_king's review against another edition
2.0
A philosophical examination of the concept of honor and its role in social change. The examples chosen are widely spaced in time and locations: duelling amongst the British aristocracy, foot-binding in Manchu-ruled China, the trans-Atlantic slave trade, and honor killing in Pakistan. Appiah's notion is that a shift in what is considered honorable behavior can start what he calls a "moral revolution" when a practice that was once considered necessary to uphold honor is transformed in public perception to be shameful, barbaric or dishonorable.
The stories are well researched, well-written and have historical interest; however, in my opinion, the premise is incorrect. Duelling, foot-binding, the slave trade and present-day so-called honor killings have less in common than Appiah seeks to prove.
Duelling was a practice to uphold a gentleman's honor, yes, but once it was adopted by persons of lower rank, and put out to public ridicule, it ceased. Foot-binding and honor killings are just two of the many means that men use to subjugate and control women. "Honor" has always been the excuse to blame the victim.
Slavery was never a matter of honor; it was a business with an economic motive for every person and group involved. Western came to see it as immoral and unethical because of the harm done to human beings. It has never been honorable to sell quack medicines or tainted food, either - and no purveyor claimed to do that to preserve their personal honor.
The stories are well researched, well-written and have historical interest; however, in my opinion, the premise is incorrect. Duelling, foot-binding, the slave trade and present-day so-called honor killings have less in common than Appiah seeks to prove.
Duelling was a practice to uphold a gentleman's honor, yes, but once it was adopted by persons of lower rank, and put out to public ridicule, it ceased. Foot-binding and honor killings are just two of the many means that men use to subjugate and control women. "Honor" has always been the excuse to blame the victim.
Slavery was never a matter of honor; it was a business with an economic motive for every person and group involved. Western came to see it as immoral and unethical because of the harm done to human beings. It has never been honorable to sell quack medicines or tainted food, either - and no purveyor claimed to do that to preserve their personal honor.
jaclyn_youngblood's review against another edition
3.0
While I appreciate the courage it took for the committee to select this book, I don't think I got the feeling they wanted me to get. I really enjoyed the fourth and fifth chapters, and understand that the first three chapters were necessary so that the final two may exist as such, but I came very close to closing the book somewhere in the middle of the chapter on the Atlantic slave trade. I think I need to re-read it closer to O-Week, but I'm already feeling nervous for how the new students will react to this selection.
daaan's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting book that looks at the way in which profound social changes happen in societies. It's refreshing to look at morality from once using a practical lens rather than an idealised conceptual model, i.e. how does morality work in the real world, and not an attempt to create a rational model. Ultimately I found the book didn't quite go into enough detail for my liking, however it has made me far more interested in obtaining the author's other book ethics of identity.
silkemaria's review
4.0
It was a thought provoking and interesting read and I learned a great deal from it, like I hope would. The combination of a philosophical approach to historical events and the perception of what is right and wrong was something I particularly enjoyed and for me it made the read even more accessible. It's possible to change what seems to be set in stones for years and this book stressed this idea - and that is something I really need in times like this.
saras's review
3.0
Book addressed a topic that is really interesting and important to me. Unfortunately it was difficult to read. I often didn't know what point he was trying to make. But he did bring out some excellent insights.
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