Ethics

Ethics Study Guide

7.5 Autonomy Kant’s discussion of the connection between morality and freedom centers on autonomy of the will. He identifies autonomy as the supreme principle of morality. His connection between freedom and civil society exists on two levels. First, one precondition of autonomy (i.e. internal freedom) is liberty (i.e. external freedom), and an individual can secure his/her liberty only once he/she is a member of civil society. Second, an individual is free only when others recognize him/her as a being with the capacity for autonomous action, and joining civil society is the process by which this recognition takes place. Rather than be defined by external sources, to be autonomous is to be one’s own person, to be guided by thoughts, desires, and characteristics that are part of one’s authentic self.

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