Justice and Recognition: Two Models

Abstract

The normative potential of the idea of equal dignity makes it necessary to postulate critical social justice as a conception of justice that is capable of responding to the demands that emerge from what is traditionally associated with justice and what is traditionally associated with recognition. The best way to ensure that a person can be an agent in contemporary societies is by guaranteeing rights, resources, opportunities and access to relational contexts that provide someone with enough self-assurance to participate in the life of society Fraser and Honneth endorse the aim of securing the individual’s agency, though their approaches interpret how to achieve this objective in different ways. Fraser’s conception of critical social justice aims to harmonize the most contemporary claims articulated by social movements, those of distribution and those of recognition, which are considered suitable means to guarantee the effective participation of a person in democratic societies. Honneth proposes a recognition model in which justice is a specific sphere, and so his theory is more comprehensive than a theory of justice and intends to ensure what recognition patterns require in order to guarantee self-realization. In this process an individual’s self-reliance is acquired, and it enables her to participate in democratic life.