Peter L. Berger once wrote an article, discussing the obsolescence of the concept of “honor” as the result of the rise of the modern consciousness. This article could be seen as an eloquent witness asserting “honor” to be the core of values, and the most important principle of constructing a society in the long duration of pre-modern societies. And the concept still is among the significant values after the considerable modification in the modern age.
In sociological theories, “honor” is referred as a goal of value-oriented action within the action theory : as a moment of integration to fortify the cohesiveness of groups.
However, the relations of power to man (types of power-relationships) should not be ignored, in analysing the value “honor”. On what basis of integration is a particular power formed ? And in what relationship is man engaged in it ? These questions are important in order to define the social implications and characteristics of “honor”. I deal with this problem by adopting the concept of “value-basis of power” and determine the sociological significance of “honor” as value. For the purpose of this analysis, I examine the European thoughts and literatures all the way from the Classical Antiquity through the Christianity and up to the Early Modernity. Thus I discuss the theoretical elements of the transformation of the concept of “honor”.