Between Anthropology and Communication: Towards a General Theory of Recognition

By defining recognition as a «vital human need», somehow Charles Taylor opened the way to a possible re-expression of the theme of recognition within a general theory having an anthropological-philosophical base. The fact that a similar root can even be found in other fundamental subsequent researches, such as in Habermas, Ricoeur and Honneth, which does not only reinforce this interpretative line, but rather it tends towards an interdisciplinary articulation. This is because in constructing their respective theories, these scholars give a varied or even different reference to disciplines such as psychology, sociology, and politics. Actually, the concept of recognition has been variously developed by these disciplines, for different reasons and in relation to different domains of application. But, the conceptual and theoretical camp is fragmented, heterogeneous, and even contradictory. This paper aims to investigate whether philosophy may be used at a theoretical level to nourish this important concept within sight of a new general theory which subsumes the contribution of psychology, sociology, and politics.