Peter L. Berger On The Concept Of Honor

What is a society? Does it consist of your neighborhood, your school, or your country? For the purposes of this paper, we shall explore this notion of what a society consists of not as a question of or but as of and. Society is not simply just one’s neighbourhood, school, or country. Instead, it is one’s neighbourhood, school, and country. Picture a mind map. The traditional mind map features various lines that ultimately converge in the center of the page to one larger, central idea. This same visualization can be applied to the notion of societies. The lines consist of the smaller societies that each individual is a member of, such as one’s neighbourhood, which all converge to consist of one comprehensive society- that of our planet Earth.

In On the Obsolescence of the Concept of Honor, Peter L. Berger offers an intriguing insight into the notion of honor and dignity on both an individualistic and societal perspective: “The concept of honor implies that identity is essentially, or at least importantly, linked to institutional roles. The modern concept of dignity, by contrast, implies that identity is essentially independent of institutional roles” (p. 90). This delineation between honor and dignity on an individual and societal level allows for an examination of the university’s honor code in regards to the relationship it fosters between the individual students and the student society at the university. Originally introduced to assist in easing the tension between students and faculty, the honor code has become an entirely student-led system that governs student conduct through their pledge not to lie, cheat, or steal. Before their academic career at the university has officially begun, students sign the honor code and commit to this pledge throughout their time at the university- something I did myself during welcome week in August. In reflecting on the honor code in relation to Berger’s perspective of dignity and honor on the individual and societal levels, I find myself perplexed by the questions it raises regarding its relation to the construct of society as an issue of and rather than of or. Is the drive of the students to commit to their pledge not to lie, cheat, or steal, during their time at the university a result of their desire to maintain their dignity as an individual or is it a result of their desire to maintain their honor among their society? Similar to the construct of society, I believe this question is also an issue of and rather than or. Students follow the honor code because they wish to maintain their dignity as individuals and their honor among their student society. This