Marx, Honneth and the Tasks of a Contemporary Critical Theory

Jean Philippe Deranty*

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    7 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    In this paper, I consider succinctly the main Marxist objections to Honneth's model of critical social theory, and Honneth's key objections to Marx-inspired models. I then seek to outline a rapprochement between the two positions, by showing how Honneth's normative concept of recognition is not antithetical to functionalist arguments, but in fact contains a social-theoretical dimension, the idea that social reproduction and social evolution revolve around struggles around the interpretation of core societal norms. By highlighting the social theoretical side of recognition, one can outline a model of critical social theory that in fact corresponds to the descriptive and normative features outlined by Marx himself. However, the price of this rapprochement for Honnethian critical theory is a greater emphasis on the division of labour as the central mechanism of social reproduction.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)745-758
    Number of pages14
    JournalEthical Theory and Moral Practice
    Volume16
    Issue number4
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Aug 2013

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