Recognition and the moral nexus
R. Jay Wallace
Abstract
Abstract A discussion of the account of recognition latent in the relational interpretation of moral requirements. I show how an appealing conception of recognition falls out of this interpretation, which treats moral norms as directed requirements that specify what we owe to others, and that correspond to claims on the part of those at whom they are directed. It is argued that relations of accountability, in which we demand of each other compliance with moral requirements, can be understood to involve demands for interpersonal recognition within the relational interpretation. The paper concludes with a discussion of the value of interpersonal recognition, understood in relational terms, considering the perspectives both of claimholders and of the agents who owe them moral consideration.