The introduction of the basic pension, an individual basic pension supplement granted if obligatory contributions to the statutory pension insurance have been paid for decades from below-average earnings, is taken as an opportunity to reflect on the normative justification of social rights. In particular, the symbolic dimension of social rights will be elaborated. For this purpose, Axel Honneth's theory of recognition will be referred to. Finally, an attempt is made to determine in which case norms that are supposed to confer symbolic recognition can be considered legitimate.