I'm sorry if you don't really care about this.

I'm just going to need this space to work this out right quick.

I find myself insanely attracted to the theory of Recognition.  To me, it is the answer to... everything about humans, at least from a secular perspective (and can easily be related back to a Christian worldview, particularly when looking at Renaissance poetry, like John Donne and George Herbert).  Anyway.  The theory of Recognition says that every human's core desire is to be known by others who are also independent selves.  Jessica Benjamin explains it like this,

The subject declares, "I am, I do," and then waits for the response, "You are, you have done." Recognition is thus, reflexive; it includes not only the other's confirming response, but also how we find ourselves in that response.  (from Bonds of Love)

It seems to me that, as theorists like Judith Butler and Jessica Benjamin describe it, the idea of Recognition is the cry of every heart; it's what makes every life "livable" (in Judy's terms).  They both say that ultimately, recognition corresponds to our need to love and be loved.

What other idea was I so drawn to earlier this year? John Dryden's conception of a heroic society.  The kind of society where others are put before the self; a society built upon a radical conception of love.  Where the self is always looking out for the other.

I found a bridge between the two, and I could squeal I'm so excited:

Jessica Benjamin and John Dryden both present counterpoints to Hobbesian conceptions of society.  Basically, Benjamin and Dryden believe that our desire for Love and Recognition can overcome our desire for omnipotence.

Hello, thesis!

Now if I could just find a little French man to join my crew...