Agreed that the word is ambiguous, and yes, any violation of a moral code (or a legal code, or a local policy) is an offense against that code… going 60 in a 55-mph zone is an offense against local traffic laws, for example.
The context I had in mind was the emotional state of offense, though.
Which seems to me to be what primates (and I suspect social mammals in general) experience when they perceive a potential infringement of their rights or privileges.
Agreed that this can be a reaction to both a violation of the actual local status hierarchy, and an act that violates an individual’s preference without actually violating the local norms. But I would argue that in the latter case, what that individual is actually trying to do is change their position in the status hierarchy, by invoking an offense-response that would be appropriate were their status different. (Of course, they may not get away with it.)
So I’d say it’s no coincidence that the former blurs into the latter… they are, it seems to me, invoking the same mechanisms.
Agreed that the word is ambiguous, and yes, any violation of a moral code (or a legal code, or a local policy) is an offense against that code… going 60 in a 55-mph zone is an offense against local traffic laws, for example.
The context I had in mind was the emotional state of offense, though.
Which seems to me to be what primates (and I suspect social mammals in general) experience when they perceive a potential infringement of their rights or privileges.
Agreed that this can be a reaction to both a violation of the actual local status hierarchy, and an act that violates an individual’s preference without actually violating the local norms. But I would argue that in the latter case, what that individual is actually trying to do is change their position in the status hierarchy, by invoking an offense-response that would be appropriate were their status different. (Of course, they may not get away with it.)
So I’d say it’s no coincidence that the former blurs into the latter… they are, it seems to me, invoking the same mechanisms.