Individual Autonomy & Modern Philosophy
...ual independence or freedom from authority. In school, I never seem to have the right answer, even if I believe strongly that it is the answer for me. At work, if I have an idea about an easier way to do something, it is wrong, and I should do as my boss says. Autonomy is difficult to understand. I believe it has a slightly different meaning to everyone. To me, it is more spiritual. The government can never take that from me. I believe in God, and that is my intellectual independence from authority. That is my basic belief. Socrates was willing to die for his belief, and for his country. I do not know if I could have been as strong as he was, because I feel very differently about government then he did. I am not saying I would not go to war and die for my country. I know the United States today is free. But it is also hard for me to believe that is will remain that way for my great great grandchildren. I hope that they will be able to make their own judgments about philosophy and autonomy, and not be forced to believe everything in text. That is one wonderful thing about philosophy. It seems to be untouched by the government. It is hard to put on paper what I believe about life, and the meaning of Reality. But it is nice to be able to “believe”, and not be told what is “right”. I want to question what I am told, even if it is a fact in a textbook. I want to be able to write an essay on what “I” believe instead of what the teacher believes. To me, that is what philosophy and autonomy is all about. In a world where kids are no longer allowed to say a prayer before lunch, it is nice to know we can sit in a classroom and discuss how one person’s belief affects our own, no rules, no regulations. I want more things in society to be that way. I want to ask questions and not be told I’m wrong. Now, we must observe the relationship between morality and autonomy. Morals can not be forced. They can be taught and understood. But in the end, it is up to the individual as to what they believe is morally right. Morality relates directly to autonomy in my view. In order to achieve freedom from authority and true intellectual independence, one must have st...