Freedom's Right

Axel Honneth is Professor of Philosophy at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt am Main, and at Columbia University, New York. His many books in English include The Struggle for Recognition and Disrespect: The Normative Foundations of Critical Theory.

• Introduction: A Theory of Justice as an Analysis of SocietyA. Historical Background: The Right to Freedom1. Negative Freedom and the Social Contract2. Reflexive Freedom and Its Conception of Justice3. Social Freedom and the Doctrine of Ethical LifeTransition: The Idea of Democratic Ethical LifeB. The Possibility of Freedom1. Legal Freedom2. Moral FreedomC. The Reality of Freedom3. Social FreedomNotesIndex

"A stunningly ambitious exploration of the ways in which the major institutions of Western society promote freedom and at the same time present obstacles to its realization. Honneth defends a compelling conception of social freedom grounded in mutual recognition, which he employs both to comprehend contemporary social reality and to reveal its deficiencies. Characterized by an extraordinary richness of detail, the book's aim is a provocative mix of reconciliation and critique. No social philosopher has attempted a project of this scope since Hegel composed the Philosophy of Right almost two hundred years ago."Frederick Neuhouser, Barnard College "Breaking with the dominant style of contemporary political philosophy, Axel Honneth demonstrates how fruitful it can be to develop a theory of social justice, not simply by appeal to common beliefs and intuitions, but more fundamentally on the basis of an understanding of the characteristic institutions of modern society. Freedom's Right is a brilliant work by one of today's leading philosophers."Charles Larmore, Brown University"On a historical and ideological level, Freedom's Right is a bold effort to rescue the Philosophy of Right from the Heglian Right."Political Studies Review