Charles Taylor

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Charles Taylor
Taylor in his work “the politics of recognition” tried to offer an extensive philosophical justification for why groups in the western societies were demanding for public acknowledgement of their specific identities based on ethnicity, race, and gender. Taylor tried to explore the idea that to affirm equal dignity of groups, they must acknowledge their cultures. He justified that identities of individuals are dialogically and socially constructed. This explains the reason recognition is vital because it indicates how identity and its politics are significant for controlling and minimizing cases of group conflicts. This paper explains that Taylor’s claim is right when he justifies that while people should give acknowledgment and respect to what are universal human characteristics; everyone has own unique identity, which should be recognized and respected. However, this paper argues that Taylor erred by encouraging minority groups to abandon their particularity to comply with expectations and principles of dominant culture.
Human identity is formed by the membership of a particular cultural group, and the sense of individual‘s self-worth is connected with the view that individuals are linked to their cultural groups (Hoffman and Graham 17). In this way, Taylor gives a new perspective of understanding the human social condition. Taylor, therefore, shows how cultural recognition is an essential aspect of individual recognition while misrecognition is dangerous because it is a form discrimination and oppression.
The significance of recognition can be seen in its relationship to the concept of identity that is defined as the way an individual understands who he is of his important human characteristics. Taylors explains that since recognition partly shapes identity, misrecognition or nonrecognition can lead to harm and oppression, and, therefore, imprisoning an individual whose self-identity is distorted and reduced (25). The underlying Taylor’s account is founded on the Hegelian understanding that people are formed intersubjectively. Individual identity is not just formed from within and not just constructed by each person alone but is constructed through dialogue with others which the individual negotiates his or her identity. Taylor considers “others” as important people because “others” have a significant role in an individual’s life, such as colleagues, teachers, friends, family and others. The sense of an individual is determined through interaction with others. I think Taylor’s argument is vital because he helps to create change from a monologic self-perception of a person to a dialogic view of self.
Taylor emphasizes how recognition is significant; thus considering it as an important human need, and saying that misrecognition can cause conflict by creating hatred to the victims. Taylor justifies that the abolition of social hierarchies in the society has led to the basis of creating recognition and respect of groups and individuals and has contributed to the modern day idea of dignity that is founded on egalitarian and Universalist principles of the equal worth of all h...