Axel Honneth’s Methodology Of Normative Reconstruction ——Focus On The Issue Of Modern Ethical Life

Normative Reconstruction is the methodology adopted in Axel Honneth’s important work Freedom’s Right.With this methodology,Honneth faces the inherent limitations of the methodology of rational constructivism and attempts to critically reconstruct the inherent social life order based on Hegel’s understanding of ethical life.The research of most scholars mainly focused on the following issues: the social analysis based on this methodology,the ‘reactualization’ of Hegel’s philosophy of right by using this methodology,and the immanent critique represented by this methodology.However,there was a lack of systematic research and overall evaluation of Normative Reconstruction.The purpose of this study is to systematically sort out Axel Honneth’s methodology of Normative Reconstruction from the perspective of rethinking modern ethical life,reveal its logical evolution process and highlight its value.Freedom and its realization have always been the meaning and core purpose of modern ethical life.In the arrangement of modern ethics and political philosophy for ethical life,how to reconcile the contradiction between the normalization and reality of freedom realization has become the key issue.The direct theoretical counterpart of Normative Reconstruction is Kant-Rawls’ s methodology of rational constructivism,whose internal limitation urges him to develop his own methodology by using the ideological resources of his predecessors.The main theoretical clue of Normative Reconstruction is from Hegel’s negative dialectical methodology,to the traditional immanent critique methodology of The Frankfurt School,and then to Honneth’s methodology of reconstruction in his early theory.Both Hegel and the early Frankfurt School emphasized the normative conditions of ethical life and social reality contained a rational potential force,which sought normative basis for the diagnosis and treatment of social diseases and the internal transcendence of modern ethical life.Honneth also presents a complete logical evolution process of Normative Reconstruction on the basis of the social problems of the present era.Based on profound social analysis and reflection,Honneth seeks for normative ideas in the historical development of specific social mechanisms,which serves as the criterion and scale for criticizing social diseases and seeks for the path of human freedom and liberation.In general,with the methodology of Normative Reconstruction,Honneth reflects on the problems of modern ethical life,plans the normative order of modern ethical life,and effectively explores the possibility of individual self-realization and social justice order perfection.Honneth draws experience from empirical research and provides the thinking direction about the idea of freedom and its realization,which makes the normative practice of ethical life and the realization of freedom possible.The inherent transcendence contained in the methodology of Normative Reconstruction also endows critical social theory with full development potential.