Honneth on Work and Democracy: A Sympathetic Rejoinder

Several developments in contemporary economic and political systems have led to a renewed attention to the world of work. Compared to the first three decades following World War II, work, or at least formal employment in labor markets, has become more precarious, and in some countries, notably in Europe, harder to find. Western economies have witnessed progressive tertiarization, and the decline of employment levels in the manufacturing sector. The role of unions, once the bulwark of labor rights battles, has become more marginal, especially in the Anglo-American context. The causes of such developments are notoriously hard to pinpoint, but the growth of global value chains, and the so-called geographic disintegration of production at the global level, coupled with the extraordinary pace of technological change would certainly feature in any credible explanation. In light of these momentous alterations to our economic landscape, it would seem appropriate for philosophers to have something to contribute. And, to his credit, Axel Honneth has vigorously taken up the gauntlet in his recent book, Der Arbeitende Souverän: Eine normative Theorie der Arbeit (2023a). In this essay, I shall offer a (sympathetic) critical analysis of two of his main arguments. To begin with, I shall rehearse his conceptual genealogy of the definition of labor and argue that while the latter is to be commended for its richness and plausibility, some elements are in need of further clarification. I will then move on to consider the core of Honneth’s argument, namely, his account of the relationship between democratic political participation and fair working conditions. Here too, while there is much to be said for Honneth’s proposal, I shall discuss a set of potential ambiguities that it might prove useful to resolve. In the final part of the essay, I move slightly beyond the confines of Honneth’s view, and suggest that his argument should consider the, potentially negative, impact of the competitive ethos that largely dominates employment relations in a market economy given the tension that are likely to arise between such an ethos and a deliberative account of democratic political participation.