A Critique of Charles Taylor’s Theory of Recognition

Peter Piringkwap Maigari(1*),

(1) Augustinian Institute Makurdi, Makurdi, Benue State, Makurdi, Nigeria.
(*) Corresponding Author




DOI: https://doi.org/10.26858/societies.v1i2.22918

Abstract


This paper seeks to appraise Charles Taylor's theory of recognition which revolves around equal dignity, the ideal of authenticity and the fusion of horizons. This paper found out that Taylor's theory holds that our individual identity is shaped by recognition or its absence. Hence, a person or group of people can suffer real imagery damage or the distortion of the same if the people or society hold a distorted and demeaning image of them to the extent that misrecognition on the one hand or non-recognition, on the other hand, can both inflict psychological harm and distort their mode of being. In this paper, I argue that Taylor's theory of recognition, as plausible as it seems, is flawed. The conclusion that is reached therefore is that Taylor's three modes of recognition is inadequate in the formation of a multicultural society that will guarantee tolerance and peaceful authentic existence in the society.


Full Text:

PDF

References


Braman, B. J. (2008). Meaning and authenticity: Bernard Lonergan and Charles Taylor on the drama of authentic human existence. University of Toronto Press.

Burns, A. (2020). Social Institutions and the Politics of Recognition: From the Ancient Greeks to the Reformation (Vol. 1). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

Clarke, V. (2002). Sameness and difference in research on lesbian parenting. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 12(3), 210-222.

Dyzenhaus, D., Moreau, S. R., & Ripstein, A. (Eds.). (2007). Law and morality: readings in legal philosophy. University of Toronto Press.

Hahnenberg, E. P. (2010). Awakening vocation: A theology of Christian call. Liturgical Press.

Heidegger, M. (2010). Being and time. Suny Press.

Koppelman, A. (2014). Ronald Dworkin, Religion, and Neutrality. BUL Rev., 94, 1241.

Lash, S., & Featherstone, M. (2001). Recognition and difference. Theory, Culture & Society, 18(2-3), 1-19.

Levinas, E. (1995). The theory of intuition in Husserl's phenomenology. Northwestern University Press.

Munzer, S. R. (1993). Kant and property rights in body parts. Canadian Journal of Law & Jurisprudence, 6(2), 319-341.

Oben, B., & Egege, L. U. (2018). Conflit idéologique, calvaire de la maternité ou le dilemme de la femme africaine dans un monde

postmoderne? Réflexions sur vie de femme vie de sang d. Azaratou Baboni’, Journal of Humanities and Cultures Studies R&D, 4(5), 1-10.

Oprea, A. (2020). Compassion’s More Dangerous Allies: Fear, Anxiety, and Amour-Propre. Polity, 52(2), 189-220.

Rousseau, J. J. (1782). Considérations sur le gouvernement de Pologne, et sur sa réformation projettée. éditeur non identifié.

Seymour, M. (2014). Recognition, Politics of Difference, and the Institutional Identity of Peoples. Recognition Versus Self-Determination: Dilemmas of Emancipatory Politics, 227-250.

Taylor, C. (1985). Philosophy and the Human Sciences: Philosophical Papers 2. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Taylor, C. (1992). The ethics of authenticity. Harvard University Press.

Taylor, C. (1994). The politics of recognition (pp. 25-74). Princeton University Press.

Taylor, R. (2004). Self-realization and the priority of fair equality of opportunity. Journal of Moral Philosophy, 1(3), 333-347.

Thompson, S. (2006). The political theory of recognition: A critical introduction. Polity.

Tuck, R. (2002). Hobbes: A very short introduction. OUP Oxford.

Vessey, D. (2012). Gadamer and Davidson on language and thought. Philosophy Compass, 7(1), 33-42.

Wiborg, S. (2000). Political and cultural nationalism in education. The ideas of Rousseau and Herder concerning national education.

Comparative Education, 36(2), 235-243.

Young, I. M. (2011). Justice and the Politics of Difference. Princeton University Press.

Zammito, J. H. (2002). Kant, Herder, and the birth of anthropology. University of Chicago Press.


Article Metrics

Abstract view : 418 times | PDF view : 56 times

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.