"New Directions for a Critical Theory of Work: Reading Honneth Through Deranty"

by Boston, Timothy (2018)

Abstract

Axel Honneth?s theory of recognition has been criticised for presenting a deficient concept of work and the normative significance of work. In recent years Jean-Philippe Deranty, among others, has suggested that Honneth could overcome this deficiency by reintroducing into his mature theory the critical concept of work that first appeared in his 1977?1985 writings. My paper critically reconstructs and assesses Derantys position. I argue that Deranty has understated the extent to which his research direction diverges from Honneth?s. Rather than simply nuancing Honneth?s existing philosophical system, Deranty?s work exposes some of its conceptual limits and points beyond it.

Key Passage

In 1980, Honneth proposed restoring the normative significance of working activity by reconstructing Marx’s critique of capitalist production as an alienated form of work.27 For Honneth, the critical thrust of Marx’s concept of alienation is the role that a worker’s relation to the objective products of her or his work is supposed to play in her or his formation [Bildung] as a self-conscious, autonomous or fully human subject. (p.115)

Keywords

Axel Honneth, Deranty, Normative Significance Of Work, Critical Theory Of Work, Frankfurt School Of Social Research

Themes

On Honneth, Critical Theory of Work

Links to Reference

• https://doi.org/10.1080/14409917.2018.1453287
• http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14409917.2018.1453287
• https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14409917.2018.1453287?casa_token=6V5-rH7LCD0AAAAA:p4J5PSfK_q3znsGd9Kw7cj1ciadfy0kVBMhAqVnDgxfOiS6-IvKh-2ih00HjcMfKDIo-kQQM5iv_
• https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/14409917.2018.1453287?casa_token=W-_gjDnj8VcAAAAA:Wy-OVTKiKDdqCu7YaQu8-188eSr1WBTBq0W2npd4uZy3-sdBIbtHtgfDkeURTMQiJ_aGI6862Cjm

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