The autonomy of persons

Dozenten

Beschreibung

The term “autonomy of persons” refers to the capacity to determine one’s own will and to act accordingly. Many people value their personal autonomy as an expression or constitutive part of their individuality, especially in Western societies: They want to make up their own decisions and take each other responsible for it. It is quite clear that this concept of autonomy is immediately linked to the notion of free will, but the focus in the debate about autonomy is a bit different from that about the free will. Whereas in the free will debate, it is often mainly the principle of alternative possibilities which is at stake, the focus in the autonomy debate is a bit more on questions typical for applied philosophy: How must the will be structured in order to possess autonomy (H. Frankfurt)? What is the relation between personal autonomy and (perhaps oppressive) socialization and education (P. Benson)? In how far is political suppression an obstacle to personal autonomy (M. Oshana)? What is the relation between autonomy and morality? Is morality perhaps a condition for autonomy (I. Kant)? And what about decisions which in a way may change your personality (L. Paul)?

In the seminar, we will discuss these topics on the basis of recent papers and book chapters. Participants are asked to give a presentation on the basis of a paper and to deliver a short written elaboration to get 4 credits. Depending on the number of participants, it may perhaps be possible to give another presentation instead of writing an elaboration. You can (but need not) give your presentation together with a partner.

The list of topics and time slots for presentations will be uploaded in Stud.IP in the week before the seminar begins (participants will be informed by mail). The texts are already available in Stud.IP. For copyright reasons, they are enclosed in an encrypted zip-folder – sorry for the inconvenience. To get the password, just write me a short mail (or wait for the first lesson). Also for copyright reasons: You are not allowed to distribute the papers.

Weitere Angaben

Veranstaltungsart: Seminar (Offizielle Lehrveranstaltungen)
Veranstaltungsnummer: 8.3241
Ort: 93/E12
Zeiten: Fr. 10:00 - 12:00 (wöchentlich)
Erster Termin: Freitag, 01.11.2019 10:00 - 12:00, Ort: 93/E12

Studienbereiche

• Philosophie > Aufbaumodul Praktische Philosophie: „Das Richtige & das Gute“
• Cognitive Science > Bachelor-Programm