Recognition and Intention

According to a ‘broadly Hegelian’ account, genuine normativity is instituted by practices of mutual recognition. In A Spirit of Trust, Robert Brandom offers a relatively clear articulation of how such an account might unfold – beginning with the notion of desire, moving through recognition, and culminating in practices of reciprocal recognition that are said to institute both genuine normativity and robust self-consciousness. In this talk, I will do three things. First, I will discuss some methodological questions regarding the status of this Hegelian explanation of normativity and compare it with other so-called ‘pragmatic genealogies’ of important philosophical concepts. Second, I will argue that Brandom’s exclusive focus on desire underestimates the importance of (expressions of) intentions in the emergence of normativity. Third, I will connect this genealogical account of normativity with questions concerning the moral status of artificial systems.