The Formalization of Recognition: A Hegelian Critique of Alexander Wendt’s World State Thesis

Abstract

This article presents a critical analysis of Alexander Wendt's thesis on the inevitable emergence of a world state, focusing on the underlying conception of recognition. We argue that this conception is conceptually limited and heavily influenced by contemporary institutionalist interpretations, particularly those of Axel Honneth and Robert Pippin. This influence renders his thesis regarding a world state based on interstate recognition questionable, as it rests on an improper extrapolation of Hegelian civil society dynamics to the interstate sphere, resulting in a merely formal conception of recognition.