Part I, Chapter X, 1

OF POWER, WORTH, DIGNITY, HONOR AND WORTHINESS

A person's POWER, taken in its broadest sense, is the means presently available to obtain some future apparent good. It is either original or instrumental.

Natural power is excellence in the faculties of body or mind: extraordinary strength, beauty, prudence, skill, eloquence, generosity, or noble birth. Instrumental powers are those acquired by these faculties or by fortune that serve as means to acquire more power: riches, reputation, friends, and the secret working of God that people call good luck. In this respect power is like fame, growing as it advances, or like the motion of heavy bodies, which gather speed the farther they travel.

The greatest human power is that compounded of the powers of many people united by consent in one person, natural or civil, who has the use of all their powers dependent on his will, as in the power of a Common-wealth. Or those powers may depend on the will of each individual, as in the power of a faction or several factions in league. Thus to have servants is power, and to have friends is power: their strengths are united.

Riches joined with generosity are also power, because they procure friends and servants. Without generosity riches are not power in this way, because they do not protect their owner but expose that person as prey to envy.

A reputation for power is power, because it draws the allegiance of those who need protection.

So too is a reputation for love of one's country, called popularity, for the same reason.

Any quality that makes a person loved or feared by many, and even a reputation for such a quality, is power, because it is a means of gaining the help and service of many.

Success is power, because it creates a reputation for wisdom or good fortune, which makes others either fear the successful person or rely upon him.

Affability in someone already powerful increases power, because it wins affection.

A reputation for prudence in the conduct of peace or war is power, because we entrust the government of ourselves to prudent people more willingly than to others.

Noble birth is power, not everywhere but only in those Common-wealths where it carries privileges; their power consists in those privileges.

Eloquence is power, because it seems to be prudence.

Beauty is power, because as a promise of good it recommends people to the favor of women and strangers.

The sciences have little power because they are not conspicuous, and so their presence in any person goes unrecognized. Few have them at all, and even they possess them only in a few matters. For science is such that no one can recognize its presence without having attained a considerable measure of it.

Arts of public use, such as fortification and the making of engines and other instruments of war, are power because they contribute to defense and victory. And though their true mother is science, namely mathematics, because the craftsman's hand brings them into the light they are considered his offspring: ordinary people take the midwife for the mother.

A person's value, or WORTH, like the worth of everything else, is the price that would be paid for the use of that person's power. It is therefore not absolute, but depends on another's need and judgment. An able commander of soldiers has a high price in time of present or imminent war, but not in peace. A learned and incorruptible judge is worth much in peacetime, but not so much in war. With people as with other things, it is not the seller but the buyer who sets the price. Though a person may, as most do, rate his own value as high as possible, his true value is no greater than others estimate it to be.

The expression of the value we place on one another is commonly called honoring or dishonoring. To set a high value on someone is to honor that person; to set a low value is to dishonor. But high and low here are relative to the value each person sets on himself.

A person's public worth, the value placed on him by the Common-wealth, is what people commonly call DIGNITY. This valuation by the Common-wealth is expressed through offices of command or judgment, public employment, or names and titles introduced to distinguish such value.

To ask another for aid of any kind is to HONOR that person, because it shows we think they have the power to help; and the more difficult the aid, the greater the honor.

To obey is to honor, for no one obeys those whom they think powerless to help or hurt them. Consequently, to disobey is to dishonor.

To give someone great gifts is to honor him, because this buys protection and acknowledges power. To give small gifts is to dishonor, because it is only almsgiving and implies the need for small assistance. To work diligently for another's good, or to flatter him, is also to honor, as a sign that we seek his protection or aid. To neglect him is to dishonor.

To yield to another in the enjoyment of any benefit is to honor, since this acknowledges greater power. To claim precedence is to dishonor.

To show any sign of love or fear of another is to honor; both love and fear assign value. To despise another, or to love or fear him less than he expects, is to dishonor, for it is to undervalue him.

To praise, magnify, or call someone happy is to honor, because only goodness, power, and happiness are valued. To revile, mock, or pity is to dishonor.

To speak to another thoughtfully, and to appear before him with propriety and humility, is to honor him, as a sign of fear of giving offense. To speak rashly to him, or do anything obscene, slovenly, or impudent in his presence, is to dishonor.

To believe, trust, or rely on another is to honor him, as a sign of our opinion of his virtue and power. To distrust or disbelieve is to dishonor.

To listen to someone's counsel or discourse of any kind is to honor, showing that we think him wise, eloquent, or witty. To sleep, leave, or talk while he speaks is to dishonor.

To do for another what he considers signs of honor, or what law or custom establishes as such, is to honor him: by approving the honor others show him, he acknowledges the power that they acknowledge. To refuse is to dishonor.

To agree with someone in opinion is to honor him, as a sign of approving his judgment and wisdom. To disagree is to dishonor and reproach him for error; if one disagrees on many points, for folly.

To imitate is to honor, for imitation gives emphatic approval. To imitate someone's enemy is to dishonor him.

To honor those whom another honors is to honor that person, showing approval of his judgment. To honor his enemies is to dishonor him.

To employ someone in counsel or in difficult actions is to honor, as a sign that we credit his wisdom or other power. To deny such employment to those who seek it is to dishonor.

All these forms of honor are natural, within Common-wealths as well as outside them. But in Common-wealths, where the person or people holding supreme authority can make whatever they please stand for a sign of honor, there are other honors.

A Sovereign honors a subject with whatever title, office, employment, or action he wishes to be taken as a sign of his will to honor that subject.

The king of Persia honored Mordecai when he ordered that Mordecai be conducted through the streets in the king's garment, on one of the king's horses, with a crown on his head, and a prince before him proclaiming, “Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king wishes to honor.” Yet another king of Persia, or the same king at another time, granted a man who had asked to wear one of the king's robes in return for some great service permission to do so, but added that he should wear it as the king's fool; then it was dishonor. So it is with civil honor: magistracies, offices, titles, and in some places coats of arms and painted shields. People honor those who have them as bearers of so many signs of favor in the Common-wealth, and that favor is power.

Whatever possession, action, or quality gives evidence and a sign of power is honorable.

Thus to be honored, loved, or feared by many is honorable, as evidence of power; to be honored by few or none is dishonorable.

Of Power, Worth, Dignity, Honor, and Worthiness

A person's power, understood generally, consists of the means they currently have to gain some future good that appears desirable. It is either original or instrumental.

Natural power is an outstanding ability of body or mind, such as exceptional strength, beauty, prudence, skill, eloquence, generosity, or noble birth. Instrumental powers are acquired through those abilities or through fortune. They are means to gain further powers, such as wealth, reputation, friends, and God's hidden workings, which people call good luck. In this respect power is like fame: it grows as it spreads. It is also like a falling heavy body, which goes faster the farther it falls.

The greatest human power combines the powers of many people who agree to place them in the hands of one person, whether an individual or a legal person. This person can use all their powers according to one will, as in the power of a Common-wealth. If their use instead depends on each individual's will, it is the power of a faction or an alliance of factions. Having servants is therefore power. Having friends is power too: both unite people's strength.

Wealth joined with generosity is power because it wins friends and servants. Without generosity it is not power in the same way. Instead of protecting the owner, wealth exposes that person to envy as a target for attack.

A reputation for power is itself power because it attracts people who need protection.

So is a reputation for loving one's country, called popularity, for the same reason.

Any quality that makes many people love or fear someone is power. So is a reputation for such a quality, because it can bring the help and service of many people.

Success is power. It creates a reputation for wisdom or good fortune, which makes people either fear a person or depend on them.

When someone already powerful is friendly and approachable, their power increases because they win affection.

A reputation for prudence in handling peace or war is power. We are more willing to entrust our government to prudent people than to others.

Noble birth is power only in Common-wealths where it brings privileges, because those privileges are the source of its power.

Eloquence is power because it gives the appearance of prudence.

Beauty is power because it promises good things and wins the favor of women and strangers.

The sciences give little power because they do not stand out, and so people do not recognize them in anyone. Only a few people have scientific knowledge, and each knows only a few subjects. Only someone who has acquired a fair amount of a science can even recognize its presence in another person.

Skills useful to the public, such as building fortifications, engines, and other weapons of war, are power because they help with defense and victory. Their real mother is science, namely mathematics. But craftspeople bring them into view with their hands, so people think the skills are their offspring. Ordinary people mistake the midwife for the mother.

A person's value, or worth, is like the value of anything else: their price, or what another person would pay to use their power. It is therefore not fixed but depends on someone else's needs and judgment. A capable commander has a high price during a war or when war is near, but not in peacetime. A learned and honest judge is worth a great deal in peace, but less in war. With people as with other things, the buyer, not the seller, determines the price. People may set their own value as high as they can, as most do. Yet their actual value is no more than others think it is.

The way we show how much we value one another is commonly called honoring and dishonoring. To value someone highly is to honor them; to value them little is to dishonor them. Here “highly” and “little” are measured against the value each person places on themselves.

A person's public worth, the value the Common-wealth places on them, is commonly called dignity. The Common-wealth shows that value through positions of command, judicial office, public employment, or names and titles introduced to mark such standing.

Asking another person for help of any kind is to honor them. It shows we think they have the power to help, and the harder the help would be to give, the greater the honor.

Obedience is honor, because nobody obeys someone they think has no power to help or harm them. Disobedience is therefore dishonor.

Giving someone large gifts honors them: it buys protection and acknowledges their power. Giving small gifts dishonors them: it is only charity and suggests they need small assistance. Working hard to advance someone else's interests, or flattering them, honors them because it shows we seek their protection or help. Neglecting them dishonors them.

Giving another person priority or a place in anything desirable honors them, since it admits they have greater power. Claiming priority over them dishonors them.

Showing any sign of love or fear for another person honors them, because love and fear both show that we value them. Showing contempt, or loving or fearing them less than they expect, dishonors them by undervaluing them.

Praising someone, speaking highly of them, or calling them fortunate honors them. We value goodness, power, and happiness. Insulting, mocking, or pitying them dishonors them.

Speaking to someone carefully, and behaving decently and humbly in their presence, honors them. It shows we fear offending them. Speaking carelessly to them, or behaving indecently, sloppily, or shamelessly in front of them, dishonors them.

Believing, trusting, or relying on someone honors them. It shows that we think them virtuous and powerful. Distrusting or disbelieving them dishonors them.

Listening to someone's advice or speech of any kind honors them. It shows that we think them wise, eloquent, or clever. Sleeping, leaving, or talking while they speak dishonors them.

Doing things for another person that they see as signs of honor, or that law or custom makes signs of honor, honors them. By accepting the honor others give them, they acknowledge the power others recognize in them. Refusing these acts dishonors them.

Agreeing with someone honors them because it shows approval of their judgment and wisdom. Disagreeing dishonors them. It implies that they are mistaken and, if the disagreement covers many subjects, foolish.

Imitating someone honors them because it strongly expresses approval. Imitating their enemy dishonors them.

Honoring people someone else honors is a way of honoring that person, because it approves of their judgment. Honoring their enemies dishonors them.

Seeking someone's help with advice or difficult actions honors them. It shows we think them wise or powerful in some other way. Denying such work to a person who seeks it dishonors them.

All these ways of honoring are natural and occur both inside and outside Common-wealths. But a Common-wealth has other honors as well. Its supreme authority can make whatever it chooses count as a sign of honor.

A Soveraigne honors a subject with any title, office, employment, or act that the Soveraigne wants understood as a sign of an intention to honor that subject.

The king of Persia honored Mordecay when he ordered him led through the streets wearing the king's clothes, riding one of the king's horses, with a crown on his head and a prince going ahead proclaiming, “This is what shall be done for the man the king wishes to honor.” Yet another Persian king, or the same king at another time, let someone who had asked to wear one of the king's robes as a reward for a great service do so. He added that the man must wear it as the king's fool. It then became a dishonor. So civil honors depend on what the authority intends by them. These include magistracies, offices, titles, and, in some places, painted coats of arms and shields. People honor their holders because these things show favor in the Common-wealth, and that favor is power.

Any possession, action, or quality that shows a person's power is honorable.

Therefore being honored, loved, or feared by many is honorable, since these are signs of power. Being honored by few people, or by none, is dishonorable.