It is commonly believed that war brings honor, and that you can become a hero by defending your country (or attacking an enemy country). But is there truly honor? Stories like this one make me doubt it...

And yet I always feel some admiration for people who bravely risk their lives to protect their homelands. Unfortunately, most of the wars going on right now are fought for petty reasons or for money.

Do you think there is honor in war?

Sometimes. those who Fought for the allies in World war 2 really were fighting for good and our protection. In Iraq while they are brave to do what they do and its sad when someone loses their life or gets injured, i don't think they are protecting their country and so there's no Honour in that respect.

But yes i respect them for what they do.

Acts of honour, nobility, chivalry... what'ere you might label it... can occur at any time or place, even in times of war or aggression.

People sacrifice themselves to save others, and even at rare times of jeopardizing their good name to face the most serious charges of treason/betrayal. They might choose to support the people while directly opposing their cause(s) openly.

Can anyone think of examples that support these things?

First thing that comes to mind, Rancer, is the idea of an "underground railroad," or a man in high society supporting a resistance group, something like that.

I agree with what Rancer first said, honor can come in any time, in any place. While I don't believe that war in and of itself is an honorable undertaking, an act of defense or aggression can have a moral reasoning behind it. Defense of the weak is something that comes quickly to mind.

Risking one's life to save someone else is always honorable, even in times of war.

But when you sacrifice yourself to kill as many enemies as you can, like Japanese kamikaze's during WWII or Muslim terrorists, is there honor? From a certain point of view, doing something like that needs an amount of bravery, patriotism and loyalty that could surely be called honor.

For the Muslims, since they believe they'll be met in paradise by a bunch of virgins or whatever, it's not really bravery. Hell, if I honestly believed that I would be met in paradise by a bunch of virgins, I'd pretty much blow myself, and others up too, not to sound like an asshole but come on, paradise and virgins for eternity. I'll make some moral sacrafices for that. :P

There is honor in fighting for what you truly believe in, I think. I'll just leave it at that.

I agree, When the WW2 was going on, that was to protect our country, This War in Iraq.... Useless. i dont think there is honor in this war. I honor the people fighting in it.... It isn't thier fault they had to go over thier, its Bush's fault.

I say there is only honor in war if it is a just cause, like World War Two when we fought against the Nazis, whom would have killed everyone who isn't "Aryan". The first time we invaded Iraq to save Kawait, that was an honroable war (or was it because the only reason we save Kawait was to save the oil, but either way........)

The Iraq war we're in right now, not so honorable. Saddam was a psycopath yes, but he wasn't really a threat to us. Plus it ws none of our buisness. We should've stayed in Afganistan and caught/killed Bin Laden. Now that's an honorable war. :D

I completely agree with that one. :D

Asking if you can find honour in war is like asking if you get wet in the shower- of course you can.

However, perhaps we're looking slightly in the wrong direction for where honour is awarded. We're thinking quite rightly about chivalrous acts and bravery in the face of danger and the decoration of those soldiers but I think honour lies more in what motivates the war and what the soldiers use as motivation to go and end fellow human lives rather than the war itself.

For example, I personally wouldn't respect someone who joined the army now just to go "killing them muslims" (I've heard that said) whereas I'd respect someone who went to Iraq/Afganistan because they were liberating a people from oppression or they were genuinely trying to make the world a better place. Even if they were just doing it to feed their family. That's another important point- is honour an objective concept or a subjective one?

There's a quote that I have as an away message.
Heh, actually, it's the one I have up right now.

But basically, during World War II, a Japanese consul named Chiune Sugihara, wrote thousands of visas to help Jews escape from prosecution, even though it was in direct contradiction of orders from his superiors.
The quote I have up goes as this:
"I may have to disobey my government, but if I don't, I would be disobeying God."

Really? I've never heard of that before! :o