Recognition as Gift. A Critical Analysis of Ricoeur’s Theory of Recognition

Abstract

The idea of the struggle for recognition, which has defined the debate on recognition since Hegel, is fundamentally called into question in Ricœur’s theory of recognition. Ricœur thus counters this idea with an analysis of the form of recognition that is given in the gift. It is this form of recognition that he makes the center of his theory. The gift, however, cannot be fought for. And the same applies to the form of recognition that is given in the gift. It too eludes our grasp. In Ricœur’s theory, recognition thus ultimately becomes something that is beyond our control. This conception allows Ricœur to preserve the otherness of the other, which is always at risk in the struggle for recognition, and to open up a completely new perspective on the recognition debate.