Axel Hornet diagnoses the pathological problem of modern society as the deprivation of self-actualization due to social neglect, and argues that the restoration of social recognition and the struggle for recognition are necessary to overcome it. He explains individual self-formation and positive self-consciousness by dividing it into primordial relationships, rights relationships, and value community relationships, and points out the destruction of self-consciousness due to neglect. He argues that a pathological society can be restored to a healthy society by forming a new order of recognition through the struggle for recognition.
Philosopher Axel Hornet argues that modern society has become a pathological society in which individuals are unable to successfully realize their self, and that the cause of this is ignorance. He argues that in order for modern society to move from pathological to healthy, social recognition that ensures individual self-realization must be restored.
In what ways does Hornet see social recognition as a guarantee of individual self-actualization? To explain this, he first explains the process of individual self formation through the relationship between the ‘objective I’ and the ‘subjective I’. The objective me is the self-image that an individual forms by generalizing other people’s ideas and expectations of him or her. In other words, the objective me is the self-image that is socially required of the individual. The subjective me is the self-image before the individual forms the self in response to the objective me, and it is an infinite possibility for the individual to form the self. Therefore, the subjective me can form the self by internalizing the objective me, but the subjective me can also repel the objective me. When the subjective I rebels against the objective I, the subjective I can assert a new self-image to the objective I, and only when the objective I accepts it can the individual form a self.
According to Hornett, an individual’s formation of a self in response to the subjective I presupposes the mutual recognition of the agents in social relationships, that is, the individual and the other. Thus, an individual can form a self in a relationship of mutual recognition, and an individual who forms a self in a relationship of mutual recognition can form a positive self-consciousness, a positive perception of the self, by gaining social support. However, if an individual in a mutual recognition relationship experiences social disregard, the individual’s positive self-perception is destroyed.
Hornett categorizes mutual recognition relationships and their positive self-perceptions into three types. The first is the primordial relationship, which is a mutual recognition relationship in which an individual is recognized as a being with specific needs and instincts by receiving emotional consideration from others, such as love or friendship. Individuals who experience emotional care in a primordial relationship develop self-confidence, a belief in themselves that their needs and emotions can be met and that they can always be cared for. However, when an individual experiences disregard from others, such as abuse or assault, confidence is destroyed. The second is the rights relationship, which is a mutual recognition by others of the individual’s legal rights as a rational person capable of autonomously deciding matters of right and wrong. In a rights relationship, an individual who is granted legal rights develops a sense of self-respect, recognizing that he or she is respected by society as a being with equal rights to others. However, self-esteem is destroyed when an individual experiences disrespect from society that denies them the legal rights they expected to be fulfilled. The third is the community of values relationship, which is a mutual recognition relationship in which individuals are recognized for their individuality, abilities, and attributes by members of a community who share certain values or goals. Individuals experience social solidarity when they are recognized as valuable by members of a community, which builds self-esteem, the sense that they are contributing to the community. However, self-esteem is destroyed when an individual experiences disregard for their abilities and attributes, which is denied by community members.
In Hornett’s view, when an individual develops a positive sense of self in each of these three mutual recognition relationships, the individual can successfully self-actualize. However, when an individual’s positive self-perception is destroyed by disregard in a mutual recognition relationship, the individual loses the opportunity for self-actualization. In order to recover, the individual resists the social order of recognition, which is the standard or principle by which society judges whether an individual’s self is acceptable for recognition. When an individual asserts a new self-image to the existing order of recognition, he or she is forced to confront the existing order of recognition, and the individual’s resistance extends to social resistance to secure the conditions of self-actualization for those excluded from the existing order of recognition.
He refers to all such resistance as recognition struggles. In particular, he believes that recognition struggles that arise in relations of rights or communities of values can form a new recognition order by expanding the scope of socially recognized individual rights or values. Therefore, Hornet argues that recognition struggles are legitimate struggles that restore modern society to a healthy society. This means that the struggle for recognition is more than just an individual issue, but can play an important role in changing the social structure. In modern society, individuals are constantly interacting with the society they live in through this struggle for recognition, and in the process, they gain the power to realize themselves and pursue social change. Hornet’s theory suggests that this social change can lead to a transition from a pathological society to a healthy one.
He emphasizes the importance of the struggle for recognition, but also points out that it is not just an individual problem, but a problem of the whole society. He warns that if social recognition is not restored, individuals will continue to be deprived of opportunities for self-actualization, which in turn will undermine the health of the whole society. Therefore, he argues that the restoration of social recognition is the key to solving the pathological problems faced by modern society, and it is necessary to create better social conditions.
