For other meanings, see the Noblesse Oblige (disambiguation) page.

In French, noblesse oblige means, literally, "nobility obliges", or the "noble obligation". It is generally used to confer that with wealth, power and prestige come social responsibilities. Sometimes, the phrase is used pejoratively by others, in the sense of condescending or hypocritical social responsibility.

Origin

The origins of this phrase comes from the Bible. Luke 12:48 says, "And to whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required: and to whom they commit much, of him will they ask the more." (American Standard Version).

F. A. Kemble first used the term in 1837 when he wrote in a letter, “To be sure, if ‘noblesse oblige,’ royalty must do so still more.” The essence of noblesse oblige is that social (possibly legal) pressures compel nobility to act selflessly and for the good of all.

William Faulkner uses the term many times in his novels and short stories, including the famous The Sound and the Fury (full text can be found here) and "A Rose for Emily".

In ethical discussion, it is sometimes used to summarize a moral economy wherein privilege must be balanced by duty towards those who lack such privilege or who cannot perform such duty. It has been used recently primarily to refer to public responsibilities of the rich, famous and powerful, notably to provide good examples of behaviour or to exceed minimal standards of decency.

Example

In the book Athens on Trial, Jennifer Tolbert Roberts provides a perfect example of noblesse oblige in the liturgies of ancient Athens — public burdens assigned to the wealthy such as outfitting warships, holding banquets and training choruses for dramatic performances. She notes that “The rich were understandably ambivalent about exercising this sort of ‘privilege,’ noblesse oblige could be very expensive.”

Alternative Usage

It has also been applied not only to those in any form of power, but to those who are capable of simple acts. If one is capable of doing a task to benefit another, one is obliged to do so.

This usage of the term could be used to describe Spider-Man's maxim, "with great power there must also come great responsibility."

In this line, actually it is used in the sense of Noblesse as moral highness. Those that are noble in sentiments, moral or culture, they feel naturally obliged to act accordingly.

Sources

• The Oxford English Dictionary. (1989). New York: Oxford University Press.
• Roberts, Jennifer Tolbert. Athens on Trial: The antidemocratic tradition in western thought. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1994.

Nobility

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