Recognition
A Chapter in the History of European Ideas

Explores the complex history, development and multiple associations of 'Recognition' as a central political idea in Britain, France and Germany.

Axel Honneth (Author)

9781108819305, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 22 October 2020

192 pages
21.6 x 13.8 x 1.1 cm, 0.24 kg

The idea that we are mutually dependent on the recognition of our peers is at least as old as modernity. Across Europe, this idea has been understood in different ways from the very beginning, according to each country's different cultural and political conditions. This stimulating study explores the complex history and multiple associations of the idea of 'Recognition' in Britain, France and Germany. Demonstrating the role of 'recognition' in the production of important political ideas, Axel Honneth explores how our dependence on the recognition of others is sometimes viewed as the source of all modern, egalitarian morality, sometimes as a means for fostering socially beneficial behavior, and sometimes as a threat to 'true' individuality. By exploring this fundamental concept in our modern political and social self-understanding, Honneth thus offers an alternative view of the philosophical discourse of modernity.

1. Methodological Remarks on the History of Ideas vs. The History of Concepts
2. From Rousseau to Sartre: Recognition and the Loss of Self
3. From Hume to Mill: Recognition and Self-Control
4. From Kant to Hegel: Recognition and Self-Determination
5. A Historical Comparison of Recognition: An Attempt at a Systematic Summary.

Subject Areas: History of ideas [JFCX], Philosophy [HP], European history [HBJD]