Name: GUILHERME DE SÁ NUNES
Publication date: 23/04/2026
Examining board:
Name |
Role |
|---|---|
| FRANCISCO JOZIVAN GUEDES DE LIMA | Examinador Externo |
| JORGE LUIZ VIESENTEINER | Presidente |
| NYTHAMAR DE OLIVEIRA | Coorientador |
| RAQUEL WEISS | Examinador Externo |
| RICARDO CORREA DE ARAUJO | Examinador Interno |
Pages
Summary: This research seeks to investigate how freedom is structured within the social
institutions that comprise contemporary liberal democracies, as well as its relationship
with the crisis and division of the individual, not only in relation to themselves but also
to the reality that surrounds them. To this end we rely on the ethical and political
theories of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Axel Honneth. We hypothesize that
Honneth's concept of social freedom emanates from Rousseau's idea of freedom,
which in turn is related to other concepts of the Genevan philosopher, such as selflove, self-esteem, and the general will. The study defends the thesis that the concept
of social freedom is a theoretical construct that stems from Rousseau's conception of
freedom, according to which being free is a way of life in which the human being lives
integrated not only with themselves but also with their fellow human beings. Thus
Honneth's notion of social freedom is heir to this conception of freedom from Rousseau
and aims at reconciling individualities with the collective interest. It is therefore
identified that the division of the contemporary individual does not reside solely in the
lack of social recognition, but in a prior failure in the individual's relationship with
himself. This thesis argues that such a point of view tends to be underestimated by
Honnethian critical theory, which prioritizes the structure of social institutions to the
detriment of the ontological unity of the subject.
