RECOGNITION: Shakespeare, Modern Philosophy, and the Absurdity of Grace (Matthew Smith)

What is known today as the “politics of recognition” is a perspective on how humans can attain freedom and forgiveness within scenarios of conflict. When a marginalized group demands recognition, they mean something more than rights or property; they want to be seen by others, and they want others to acknowledge that they too are seen in return. This is what modern philosophers Fichte and Hegel dub “mutual recognition,” and moral philosophers since them have wrestled with the foundational question of how two parties in an asymmetrical social relation can move beyond egoism and struggle and establish peace, healing, and mutual ethical respect. Surprisingly, to some, many have turned to drama and the plays of Shakespeare as principle examples of such interpersonal struggles—often incorporating the thought of philosophers such as Hannah Arendt, Charles Taylor, Martin Buber, Stanley Cavell, Emmanuel Levinas, and others.

In this Beverly H. Stanford Fellowship Talk, Matthew J. Smith seeks to substantiate this connection between Shakespeare’s important recognition scenes and modern philosophies of recognition. Smith suggests that Shakespeare’s interest in the problem of reconciliation was influenced by theology and, in particular, by the problem of the absurdity of grace—the impossibility of actually restoring what is lost. To address this problem, one needs a broad perspective on the history of recognition, from classical poetics and medieval Christian devotion to Renaissance theater and modern philosophy.

For more information, contact Donald Isaak at [email protected] or (626) 815-6000, Ext. 3796.