In both theoretical and applied contexts, the concept of autonomy has assumed increasing importance in recent normative philosophical discussion. Given various problems to be clari
It is a commonplace that ‘autonomy’ has several different senses in contemporary moral and political discussion. The term’s original meaning was political: a right assumed by state
Contrasts two different understandings of why autonomy is valuable. It maintains that while autonomy is a valuable capacity, not every autonomous choice merits respect, but only ch
Individual autonomy is an idea that is generally understood to refer to the capacity to be one’s own person, to live one’s life according to reasons and motives that are taken as o
Autonomy is arguably the central concept of a distinctively modern understanding of the dignity of the person, and it is considered to be a core principle in all domains of applied
Autonomous agents are self-governing agents. But what is a self-governing agent? Governing oneself is no guarantee that one will have a greater range of options in the future, or t
Awareness of man's freedom and dignity, together with the affirmation of the inalienable rights of individuals and peoples, is one of the major characteristics of our time. But fre
In the mind of contemporary man, freedom appears to a large extent as the absolutely highest good, to which all other goods are subordinate. Court decisions consistently accord art
‘Autonomy’ and its opposite ‘heteronomy’ derive from nomos the Greek for ‘law’, with the prefixes ‘auto’ and ‘hetero’ again from Greek terms meaning ‘self’ and ‘other’ respectively. Thus someone, or some entity that is autonomous is self-governing, while that which is heteronomous is ruled by someone or something else. Particularly since the eighteenth-century autonomy has come to be seen as a desirable status reflecting a subject’s capacity for, and right of self-direction. In the case of morality this is connected to notions of self-worth and rational agency; in the case of politics to the idea of independent nationhood or statehood. Put another way autonomy is viewed as freedom from control or servitude. While there are few outright critics of autonomy some philosophers regard an emphasis on it as overlooking or denying the extent of dependence on others, which they argue is not an obstacle but a means to self-development and well-being as we are social animals whose flourishing is in communities.