Autonomy v Heteronomy: Which one is best?
Conclusion: A good will can only come from an autonomous
person.
Premises:
1. Good will cannot come from a heteronomous person. (i)
a.
Heteronomy is the opposite of autonomy.(i)
b.
Heteronomy comes from other people willing a person to do good instead of
choosing to do good on his own. (441)
2. Autonomy means self rule. (440)
a. An
autonomous person wills himself to do things instead of outside influences
telling him what to do.
3. A good will is good within itself without outside forces.
(441)
a. A will
is what enables a person to do right. (416)
b. Being
good on your own is best because it is the right thing to do. (416)
4. A person whom is autonomous will have a good will.(i)
a. People
with good wills make good decisions without outside influences.(416)
b. People
who make good decisions without inside influences are autonomous.(441)
Ali, this outline is good because it's very straightforward, but I think you could elaborate a lot more at certain points. In class, we discussed some interesting concepts of freedom. In this outline, you defined autonomy and heteronomy very generally. To relate it back to Kant, I think you could discuss the concept of negative and positive freedom and how it deviates from our modern definition of "freedom". Kant is an advocate for the positive freedom in autonomy insofar as there is only one right choice (think back to the example of choosing a new car). Additionally, the big difference between autonomy and heteronomy is that REASON determines the value of a maxim in autonomy; OBJECTS determine the value in heteronomy, not reason.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the previous comment that your outline is very clearly structured. However, I believe there is room to elaborate. It is important to mention the major difference between autonomy and heteronomy, That being the factor of determination, reason or outside influences. Therefore, it is also relevant to mention the role that reason plays in an autonomous person's choices that will lead to a good will, while outside influences will not.
ReplyDeleteThough the outline is simple and easy to understand, I feel that the premises are a bit repetitive. By reorganizing and tightening them, I think you would be able to include the concept of negative and positive freedom like Fawziyah mentioned.
ReplyDeleteAlso, to make the difference between autonomy and heteronomy more clear, heteronomy doesn't necessarily have to come from other people--it can also be defined as being governed by desires, not reasons (autonomy uses reason to give law).