Hegel's Theory of Recognition and Its Influence on Contemporary French Philosophy
Abstract
This paper centers on Hegel's theory of recognition, tracing its philosophical background and internal logic. It argues that Hegel's theory aims to overcome the predicament of the "closed subject" that emerged from Cartesian philosophy. From Descartes' cogito to Kant's transcendental forms and Fichte's absolute ego, the tradition of subject-centered philosophy has progressively enclosed itself within the loop of subjectivity. In response to this trajectory, Hegel proposes that the realization of subjectivity is achieved through the process of "recognition," thereby opening a new path for subject philosophy. This paper provides a detailed analysis of the structure of "desire–struggle–recognition" in Hegel's theory, with a special focus on the dialectic of master and slave as a historical process in the formation of subjectivity. Through life-and-death struggle and labor, self-consciousness not only gains recognition from the other but also dialectically transitions from particularity to universality. This structure profoundly influenced twentieth-century French philosophy—particularly through Alexandre Kojève and Jean-Paul Sartre—culminating in Emmanuel Levinas's ethical critique.
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