With his insightful and wide-ranging theory of recognition, Axel
Honneth has decisively reshaped the Frankfurt School tradition of
critical social theory. Combining insights from philosophy,
sociology, psychology, history, political economy, and cultural
critique, Honneth's work proposes nothing less than an
account of the moral infrastructure of human sociality and its
relation to the perils and promise of contemporary social
life.
This book provides an accessible overview of Honneth's main
contributions across a variety of fields, assessing the strengths
and weaknesses of his thought. Christopher Zurn clearly explains
Honneth's multi-faceted theory of recognition and its
relation to diverse topics: individual identity, morality, activist
movements, progress, social pathologies, capitalism, justice,
freedom, and critique. In so doing, he places Honneth's
theory in a broad intellectual context, encompassing classic social
theorists such as Kant, Hegel, Marx, Freud, Dewey, Adorno and
Habermas, as well as contemporary trends in social theory and
political philosophy. Treating the full range of Honneth's
corpus, including his major new work on social freedom and
democratic ethical life, this book is the most up-to-date guide
available.
Axel Honneth will be invaluable to students and scholars
working across the humanities and social sciences, as well as
anyone seeking a clear guide to the work of one of the most
influential theorists writing today.
