Honor: A History

James Bowman talked about his book Honor: A History, published by Encounter Books. He analyzed the history and decline of honor in the West, arguing that the concept of honor has been found in all cultures throughout history. However, contemporary Western civilization dismisses the concept as obsolete, due to the erosion of values between the end of World War I and the end of the Vietnam War. It is this ignorance of honor, Mr. Bowman argued, that helped bring on the events of September 11, 2001, and has been responsible for a somewhat muddled response to it. He said that the jihadists who fight us today belong to a primitive honor culture and hold us in contempt, partly because we have abandoned our own. John O’Sullivan joined Mr. Bowman in a discussion of the possibility of reviving honor. They both answered audience members' questions. close