Analysis Of The Honor Concept Of The Ancient Greeks

Honour concept is an important part of Greek values. It is not only a kind of inner feeling of what one does and his awareness of the values of his own but also a kind of right and responsibility. Greeks pay special attention to their honour particularly because Greeks make increasing progress in their honour concept for the philosophy thinking and code of ethics of philosophers to honour. Honour concept directly affects the relation between Greek citizens and their city states. The rise and fall depend on whether honour can combine with patriotism. It includes three parts except the introduction and end.The first part is the analysis of the reasons why the honor concept of ancient Greeks is formed. Ancient Greece has special geographical environment and also endless fighting, city-state politics and citizen states for their historical features. So prosperous ancient Greek literature becomes the vector of education of honour concept. Because of so many factors Greeks have their honour concept which is different from that of other areas.The second part is about the development of honour concept in philosophy field.Honour concept buds from ancient Greek myths and religions and gets further development at the times of Pythagoras and Herbalists. Socrates begins to do some theory research and analysis to honour and tries to make honour concept a corrective weapon to social morality. Plato combines honour concept with political ideal to make honour the spiritual pillar of the country. Aristotle makes comprehensive aggregation and rational analysis to honour in theory. But after him, Greeks pay no attention to honour. In the course of the development of honour concept of Greeks, the ideal of philosophers is that honour should be based on patriotism.The third part is about the analysis of the relations between patriotism and honor concept of different times and its effect to city states. The honour concept in the Homeric Times is about the realization of personal values,which means the trends of individual heroism but shows the bud of combination with patriotism.Antiquity times Greek's honour concept and patriotism gradually hastens consistently.Arachaic age is a period in which Greeks combine honour concept with patriotism perfectly. This article analyses the reason for it and compares the honor concept based on patriotism of Sparta with that of Athens. In the late Classical Times the lofty feeling of honour of Greeks begins to disappear gradually. Honour is not based on patriotism any more. As Macedonia conquers Greece, the honour concept and patrotism of Greeks come to an end together.In the end part, this text discusses the humanism features of ancient Greek honour concept. It points out that the development of humanism is the foundation of that of honour concept. The development of humanism in different ways will have the result that honor concept will have different effect on the development of city states.