ABSTRACT
In contemporary Hegel-influenced philosophy, recognition is mostly thought of as a good thing. Some see it as a precondition of positive, individual, or collective self-conceptions or -identities, others even as ontologically foundational for the human life-form and thus as something without which we could not exist as the kinds of beings we are at all. In Chapter 3, Heikki Ikäheimo asks: if recognition is indeed such an important and good thing, and if it is in principle something humans can give each other, why is there so often a lack of it? Why is it the case that people so often fail to give others recognition, at least adequately? There are several candidates for an explanation. First, it may be that recognition – the giving or receiving of it, or both – requires capacities or skills that are not always available. Second, it may be that recognition, even though (all things considered) good, involves costs, which leads to reluctance to grant it. Third, and relatedly, even if recognition is objectively good for the individuals or groups involved, fathoming this, or being able to experience its goodness, especially against experienced costs that it may incur, may nevertheless require intellectual capacities or understanding that individuals do not necessarily possess. A fourth possibility that Ikäheimo discusses is the most challenging one in light of the theme of this volume: whether or not one believes in a super-human source and/or object of recognition – that is, a personal God – seems likely to have some implications with regard to one’s recognition for other humans. The modern philosophical tradition of thinking about recognition is for the most part emphatically secular, and thus we will need to think through the possible consequences of transferring the theme into a non-secular landscape of thought. A more precise question that Ikäheimo poses is whether there are ways in which a belief in a super-human ultimate source and/or object of recognition may compromise one’s capacity, or propensity, for recognition for other human beings. If so, what are they, and how could they be avoided? Ikäheimo first discusses the first three candidates, and then turns to the fourth.
