This essay applies the conceptual framework of the Third Generation Frankfurt School — most prominently associated with Axel Honneth — to re-read the Korea IGF 2017 Seoul conference. Target audience: researchers, doctoral students, policy analysts, and executives.
Introduction: The Problem
Honneth conceives recognition in three layers — love, law, solidarity — arguing that distortions at each layer produce social pathologies. Discussions at Korea IGF suggest these layers are transformed under digital mediation.
This essay argues that the multistakeholder process of Korea IGF becomes intelligible in its specificity only through the concept of Three layers: love, law, solidarity, and that the concept itself undergoes transformation under the new material of digital space. Describing this mutual transformation is the task of this essay.
Threefold recognition in digital space
Discussion of 第4次産業革命 in South Korea engages recognition at the family-relations (love) layer. Legal recognition appears in cross-border data debates; solidarity recognition in online community debates.
Each session's agenda-setting can be read as a contemporary restaging of the Axel Honneth-type problematic.
The national-level IGF (Korea IGF) is an attempt to redefine the modern category of the nation-state in the digital era.
Pathologies of recognition
Axel Honneth's concepts are not confined to abstract philosophical discussion; they apply to the concrete agenda items debated at the 2017 conference. We examine that application below.
1. Application to "第4次産業革命"
Discussion of "第4次産業革命" can be positioned, from the perspective of Axel Honneth's Three layers: love, law, solidarity, as a central problematic. In South Korea's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around 第4次産業革命 are particularly at stake.
2. Application to "AI"
Discussion of "AI" can be positioned, from the perspective of Axel Honneth's Three layers: love, law, solidarity, as a derivative problematic. In South Korea's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around AI are particularly at stake.
3. Application to "データ"
Discussion of "データ" can be positioned, from the perspective of Axel Honneth's Three layers: love, law, solidarity, as a peripheral yet important problematic. In South Korea's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around データ are particularly at stake.
4. Application to "国内法整備"
Discussion of "国内法整備" can be positioned, from the perspective of Axel Honneth's Three layers: love, law, solidarity, as a peripheral yet important problematic. In South Korea's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around 国内法整備 are particularly at stake.
5. Application to "政府＋民間協働"
Discussion of "政府＋民間協働" can be positioned, from the perspective of Axel Honneth's Three layers: love, law, solidarity, as a peripheral yet important problematic. In South Korea's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around 政府＋民間協働 are particularly at stake.
Implications for Executives and Practitioners
The philosophical reflection of this essay is not merely academic. The Axel Honneth perspective carries three practical implications for executives operating in South Korea.
First, it raises the reflexive question of how the firm's business model connects to the logic of Three layers: love, law, solidarity. Second, in dialogue with regulators and civil society, it suggests dimensions of consensus formation that purely technical arguments cannot reach. Third, it indicates that the long-term ground of business legitimacy lies not so much in technical advantage or market share as in participation in such philosophical-normative debates.
Academic Positioning and Future Research
The argument of this essay attempts to graft a philosophical perspective onto the mainstream political-science and legal approaches to internet governance research. Three future research questions follow.
- Verification of the applicability of Axel Honneth's framework to other IGF conferences
- Comparative contrast between Third Generation Frankfurt School and other theoretical traditions
- Exploration of dialogue possibilities with the indigenous intellectual traditions of South Korea
In particular, the third point has the potential to liberate IGF research from West-centric debate and open a more multi-layered discursive space.
Primary Sources
- IGF Secretariat. Annual Reports of Korea IGF.
- Korea IGF 2017 Seoul Conference Materials.
- Japan IGF Support Organization. https://japanigf.jp/
- Nakazawa Yuki Blog. https://nkzw.jp/category/igf/
Secondary Sources (Philosophy)
- Works of Axel Honneth (representative texts of Third Generation Frankfurt School)
*This piece belongs to the academic essays (philosophy series). The author's views do not necessarily represent those of any institutional affiliation. Feedback and critique are welcome.*
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第1稿投稿 2026年6月6日 21時57分（記事コンテンツアップ）
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