Freedom's Right

The theory of justice is one of the most intensely debated areas ofcontemporary philosophy. Most theories of justice, however, haveonly attained their high level of justification at great cost. Byfocusing on purely normative, abstract principles, they becomedetached from the sphere that constitutes their "field ofapplication" - namely, social reality. Axel Honneth proposes a different approach. He seeks to derive thecurrently definitive criteria of social justice directly from thenormative claims that have developed within Western liberaldemocratic societies. These criteria and these claims together makeup what he terms "democratic ethical life": a system ofmorally legitimate norms that are not only legally anchored, butalso institutionally established. Honneth justifies this far-reaching endeavour by demonstrating thatall essential spheres of action in Western societies share a singlefeature, as they all claim to realize a specific aspect ofindividual freedom. In the spirit of Hegel's Philosophy ofRight and guided by the theory of recognition, Honneth showshow principles of individual freedom are generated which constitutethe standard of justice in various concrete social spheres:personal relationships, economic activity in the market, and thepolitical public sphere. Honneth seeks thereby to realize a veryambitious aim: to renew the theory of justice as an analysis ofsociety.