This revised and expanded second edition of The Code of the Warrior—a book George R. Lucas has described as "groundbreaking" and "now part of the Military Ethics canon"—takes the reader on a tour of warrior cultures and their values, from the ancient Greeks and Romans to the “barbaric” Vikings and Celts, from chivalric knights to Native American tribesmen, from Chinese warrior monks pursuing enlightenment to Japanese samurai practicing death. This new edition enhances these discussions with analyses of modern-day warriors and examines the ethical dimensions of emerging military technology such as drones, cyber warfare, and bio-enhanced troops. A new chapter also addresses the Islamic warrior code, both in its historic and modern implementations. Drawing these historical traditions up to the present, this book seeks a code for the warriors of today, as they do battle in asymmetric conflicts both remotely and face-to-face against the scourge of global terrorism. This book offers a comprehensive survey of historic and modern warrior cultures for students of military history, philosophy, and ethics.
Shannon E. French is the Inamori Professor of Ethics, Director of the Inamori International Center for Ethics and Excellence, and a tenured member of the Philosophy Department at Case Western Reserve University.
Table of Contents
ForewordAcknowledgments1 Why Warriors Need a Code2 The Homeric Hero: A Hector Who Wins?3 The Two Faces of Rome4 Vikings: Vengeance, Valkyries, and Valhalla5 “Never to do outrageousity nor Murder…”: The Code of the Warrior in the World of Mallory’s Morte d’Arthur6 Indigenous Americans: Warriors of the Sacred Plains7 Chinese Warrior Monks: The Martial Artists of Shaolin8 The Soul of the Samurai: Duty, Devotion, and Death9 Revelation and the Rules of Engagement: Sultan Saladin and the Warriors of Islam10 The Warrior’s Code Today: Do We Need New Ethics of War?IndexAbout the Author
What People are Saying About This
John McCain
In The Code of the Warrior, Shannon French captures the essence of the military's core values, history, traditions, the benchmark of its leadership, the raison d'etre of servicemembers' development of character and honor.
Karl M. Hasslinger
The horrific nature of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States stirred national feelings of anger and hate that may accompany some U.S. warriors into the battle against terrorism. Without the internalized code of conduct French so eloquently describes, the combination of emotion and vastly superior U.S. military power puts our warriors at risk of becoming arrogant, detached, and in some ways like the enemies they despise. Her work is both timely and timeless.
David Grossman
From start to finish, The Code of the Warrior has powerful and useful applications for all service members and law enforcement officers. But French’s book is more than a must-read for those who carry weapons in service to their nation—now, as we enter into a clash of cultures with a War on Terrorism, this book charts the path for honorable conduct for our entire nation. It should be read by every politician and concerned citizen.
Leon A. Edney
Waiting until the fog of war has descended is too late to determine where the thin line between warrior and murderer is drawn. In The Code of the Warrior, French enlightens our thinking on this important question, offering fascinating historical examples and the kind of penetrating analysis that can only come from a philosopher devoted to the character development of our future warriors.
Jerry Miller
Relying on her extensive knowledge of the history of warrior cultures, starting with the Greeks and Trojans, Shannon French has produced an outstanding work that will be of great value to the fledgling warrior, the current practitioner, or the veteran reflecting on his past performance. This book is an important text for anyone involved in warfare, which now includes almost everyone in a society confronting terrorism.
