In his new book, Axel Honneth reconstructs the idea of recognition in the variety of meanings it has assumed since the beginning of modernity in Europe. Focusing on three influential European traditions of thought—the French, the British, and the German—he traces how each has experienced very different philosophical interpretations and socio-political manifestations due to distinct political and social challenges. While in France, recognition is associated with the danger of individual self-loss, the process of recognition in Britain is seen as a condition for normative self-control; and in Germany, recognition also signifies the form of true respect among people. It is remarkable that none of these three meanings, which have roots dating back to the 17th century, has lost significance in the present day.