Ethical autonomy: the rise of self-rule
"Autonomy is a towering concept in human affairs. Its "evocative force" pulses through the discourse of classical antiquity, rising in present times and proliferating across the globe. Vital to social-scientific and philosophical understanding, autonomy stands prominently in the pantheon of democratic values, celebrated together with the basic liberties, justice, equality, toleration, and the rule of law. Autonomy is a mainstay of individual freedom and the lifeblood of democratic conceptions of citizenship. Many believe that personal autonomy promotes individuality and authenticity, empowering citizens and spurring positive social change. Various scholars occupy themselves with the question of how to facilitate or to increase personal autonomy in democratic polities. Some ask what liberal government can do to advance personal autonomy, through schooling and other educational measures, in order to enhance people's pursuits or to energize political participation. Others go so far as to propose that personal autonomy is a basic human right, one generating moral and legal entitlements around the world. Numerous advocates have assumed that personal autonomy fits snugly with other important moral and political values. Some presuppose a natural compatibility between personal autonomy and superior ethical agency, reckoning that the more autonomous someone is, the better morally that person will be. Others intimate, or declare outright, that it is decidedly deficient not to be autonomous at the personal level. These views are fabricated from the positive qualities of autonomy, with proponents assuming, even defining, autonomous people as basically moral actors.The rosy notions and happy assumptions about autonomy are dangerous mistakes. Not only do many personally autonomous individuals take form as very bad actors: numerous of them are terrible miscreants who commit despicable, even monstrous acts. Some autonomous individuals torture, rape, and murder people they encounter. Others are deeply wicked and depraved in other ways. Personally autonomous individuals come in many dreadful varieties, from degenerate malefactors to perpetrators of horrific evil. The jumble includes those who unburden themselves of emotional and volitional constraints, preparing themselves for shocking acts. And the mix features individuals who labor thirstily to generate options to do evil, or who mull over depraved choices that appear within their perimeters. These are people whose autono ...