Defending Honor and Beyond: Reconsidering the Relationship between Seemingly Futile Defense and Permissible Harming

In Helen Frowe\u27s book, Defensive Killing, she argues that some cases of seemingly futile self-defense are actually instances of justifiable defense of the victim\u27s honor. This paper explores Frowe\u27s claim, first by isolating the central cases and then by examining her rejection of punitive reasons. From there, the paper examines Frowe\u27s understanding of defense of honor, ultimately suggesting that Frowe\u27s conception is best construed as action that has expressive, but not defensive, value. From there, I turn to two more general puzzles. First, what if the defender mistakenly believes that she can successfully defend and acts for that reason, but the reason that actually supports her action is not one she is acting in light of? And, second, how ought we to understand the interests of an aggressor who has forfeited his rights