Table of Contents

Introduction: A Theory of Justice as an Analysis of Society
A. Historical Background: The Right to Freedom
1. Negative Freedom and the Social Contract
2. Reflexive Freedom and Its Conception of Justice
3. Social Freedom and the Doctrine of Ethical Life
Transition: The Idea of Democratic Ethical Life
B. The Possibility of Freedom
1. Legal Freedom
2. Moral Freedom
C. The Reality of Freedom
3. Social Freedom
Notes
Index

About the Author

Axel Honneth is Professor of Philosophy at the Johann WolfgangGoethe-Universitat, Frankfurt am Main, and at ColumbiaUniversity, New York. His many books in English include TheStruggle for Recognition and Disrespect: The NormativeFoundations of Critical Theory.

Reviews

"A stunningly ambitious exploration of the ways in which the majorinstitutions of Western society promote freedom and at the sametime present obstacles to its realization. Honneth defends acompelling conception of social freedom grounded in mutualrecognition, which he employs both to comprehend contemporarysocial reality and to reveal its deficiencies. Characterized by anextraordinary richness of detail, the book's aim is a provocativemix of reconciliation and critique. No social philosopher hasattempted a project of this scope since Hegel composed thePhilosophy of Right almost two hundred years ago." Frederick Neuhouser, Barnard College "Breaking with the dominant style of contemporary politicalphilosophy, Axel Honneth demonstrates how fruitful it can be todevelop a theory of social justice, not simply by appeal to commonbeliefs and intuitions, but more fundamentally on the basis of anunderstanding of the characteristic institutions of modern society. Freedom's Right is a brilliant work by one of today'sleading philosophers." Charles Larmore, Brown University