Fred on honor

It is worrisome to those affecting aristocracy that aristocracy doesn’t necessarily convey intelligence, schooling, decency, courage, or common sense. In fact, Sir Wagadoodle might be inferior in all of these to a hansom driver or a scullery maid. The aristocrat’s superiority, although usually enforceable, is also usually imaginary. The notion of honor provides a wall. He is the sort of man who don’t take nuffin fum nobody, but with nice elocution.

Honor is important to militaries, which need to regard themselves as distinguishable from hit men for the Mafia. They aren’t, of course. Both kill people they don’t know on orders from people they don’t know in order to make a living. Is this not literally true?

Full essay.