The Problem of Recognition in Modern Philosophy: Social and Anthropological Dimensions
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15802/ampr.v0i23.283632Keywords:
recognition, living world, justice, injustice, humiliation, trust, dignity, Axel HonnethAbstract
Purpose. The purpose of the article lies in studying the main socio-anthropological measurements of the problem of recognition represented primarily by the philosophy of recognition of Alex Honneth, which is actualized by the struggle of the Ukrainian people for their existence and national-cultural recognition. A consistent analysis of the communicative paradigm in contemporary philosophy led to the understanding of its transformation into the reality of the problem of recognition and the identification of the main forms of recognition in it, which determine an individual’s perception of the social space as fair or unfair, where his dignity is disrespected. Theoretical basis. Turning to the works of Jurgen Habermas, Otfried Hoeffe, Ernst Tugendhat, Stefan Gosepath, and Thomas Rentsch made it possible to supplement the mainly procedural, theoretical-communicative way of philosophizing with a philosophical-anthropological, existential, contextual principle of awareness of recognition as a fundamental principle of justice and the understanding that the brutal, unjust destruction of the "living world" of a person and the state is synonymous with their physical destruction. The thesis of Francis Fukuyama about the relationship between the desire for recognition and human dignity inherent in human nature has acquired an important theoretical and methodological meaning. Originality. The article investigates the modern philosophical discourse of the problem of recognition in the socio-anthropological measurements, in the context of the relationship between recognition, the "living world" and justice, non-recognition, humiliation of human dignity, and injustice. And it was also found that the image of recognition represented by modern philosophical thought, as a horizon and condition of human existence, is based on the following components: justice, solidarity, dignity, and care. Exactly addressing the problem of recognition made it possible to answer the question about the anthropological-ontological, existential meaning of the desire of individuals, nations, and states for recognition and outline the ways of transforming recognition as a variant of "communicative utopia" into a real socio-cultural project. Conclusions. In contrast to justice, the theory of recognition comes from asymmetrical human relations, which, in the struggle for recognition, must become symmetrical. Although justice takes precedence over ethics of care and recognition, they are not actually in competition with each other, but belong to different but complementary dimensions of human existence. The perspective of philosophical understanding of the problem of recognition itself requires the deepening of its analysis with an existential-anthropological understanding rooted in a new, tragic life experience. Only under such conditions, it is possible to overcome the gap between often abstract philosophical reflections and real personal and social practices.
References
Congdon, M. (2020). The struggle for recognition of what? European Journal of Philosophy, 28(3), 586-601. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ejop.12525 (in English)
Forst, R. (2007). Das Recht auf Rechtfertigung. Elemente einer konstruktivistischen Theorie der Gerechtigkeit. Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp. (in German)
Gosepath, S. (2004). Gleiche Gerechtigkeit. Grundlagen eines liberalen Egalitarismus. Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp. (in German)
Honneth, A. (1994). Kampf um Anerkennung. Zur moralischen Grammatik sozialer Konflikte. Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp. (in German)
Honneth, A. (1997). Anerkennung und moralische Verpflichtung. Zeitschrift für philosophische Forschung, 51(1), 25-41. (in German)
Honneth, A. (2000). Das Andere der Gerechtigkeit. Aufsätze zur praktischen Philosophie. Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp. (in German)
Honneth, A. (2010). Das Ich im Wir. Studien zur Anerkennungstheorie. Berlin: Suhrkamp. (in German)
Honneth, A. (2018). Anerkennung. Eine europäische Ideengeschichte. Berlin: Suhrkamp. (in German)
Honneth, A., & Bankovsky, M. (2021). Recognition Across French-German Divides: The Social Fabric of Freedom in French Theory. Critical Horizons, 22(1), 5-28. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14409917.2021.1886668 (in English)
Petherbridge, D. (2021). Recognition, Vulnerability and Trust. International Journal of Philosophical Studies, 29(1), 1-23. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09672559.2021.1885135 (in English)
Rentsch, T. (2000). Negativität und praktische Vernunft. Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp. (in German)
Tugendhat, E. (2006). Das Problem einer autonomen Moral. In N. Scarano & M. Suárez (Eds.), Ernst Tugendhats Ethik. Einwände und Erwiderungen (pp. 13-30). München: C.H. Beck. (in German)
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Anthropological Measurements of Philosophical Research
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).