Abstract
The theory of recognition, just as Girard’s mimetic theory, claims to give an account of human behaviours both at the psichological and individual level and at the social, political, and historical one. From time to time, Girard himself hints at the theory of recognition. This paper takes into consideration not only theorists of recognition such as Honneth, but also mimetic theories already interested in the theme of recognition such as those of Spinoza and Adam Smith. It then puts forward an exam of the symmetrical claims of each one of these two theories to include the opponent and of their heuristic values. I maintain that Girard’s mimetic theory is nothing more than a «moment» of the theory of recognition.

Keywords: Recognition, Mimetic Desire, Rivalry, Identity, Conflicts, Reciprocity