ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author provides an overview of recent theories of recognition in the field of social philosophy to highlight the ontological dimension of inter-subjectivity of the individual as a vital need for relationship. The purpose is two-fold, and original, in that the authors work seeks to match the philosophical approach of recognition along with the economics of happiness, and to provide some empirical findings of the impact of recognition on subjective well-being, using the OECD database of the Better Life Index (OECD, 2015). The chapter devotes to a synthesis of the concept of recognition of contemporary approaches to overcome the dilemma of subjectivity that could be a difficulty for relationships of a deeply social person. The second part is devoted to the search for a more fruitful dialogue between economics and social philosophy as well as renewal of what could be the understanding of the individual in economics.
