Personal Autonomy and Individual Moral Growth Essay examples -- Ethics

Personal familiarity and Individual Moral Growth The term autonomy, from the Greek roots autos and nomos self + equity equals to the castigate or capacity of individuals to govern themselves. Agents may be said to be autonomous if their actions are truly their own, if they may be said to bear exampleistic liberty. The necessity of this example liberty is do clear in the work of m whatsoever philosophers, in that of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, for example, in whose genial Contract are discussed what Rousseau sees as the centr altogethery important relationships between what he terms the common allow for, liberty, equality and fraternity. From this work also comes that most renowned of all revolutionist rallying-cries, Rousseaus memorable and epigrammatic, Man is born free and everyplace he is in chains. The term is also a bag of Kants ethical theory, in which the possession of autonomy of the will is a requisite condition of moral agency. For Kant, autonomy functions as t he ability to know what devotion requires of us, rather than as the freedom to pursue our ends. The possession of autonomy permits an promoter to act on objective and universally valid rules of conduct testify by reasonableness alone. In Kantian terminology, this idea is quite transgress from heteronomy, the term Kant uses to refer to the condition of acting on desires which are not legislated by reason. In Chapter 2 of his native Principles of the Metaphysic of moral philosophy Abbott p. 46 Kant argues that we should repudiate all maxims that do not accord with the wills own enactment of universal law and Act just now on that maxim whereby thou lavatoryst at the equivalent time will that it should become a universal law. For Kant, any account grounded on the view that moral law is commanded from ... ...owledge and with its attendant moral dilemmas, on that point is a clear need for realism and, since individuals must both(prenominal) act and impound responsibility for their actions, little of value to be gained from, as McNaughton p.57 puts it, asserting that where there are many conflicting views there can be no correct answer. For the individual concerned to hit his sense of in-person autonomy to a genuine quest for moral truth, the confident stamp that, whilst truth may be difficult to discover, it except exists, remains a vital necessity. Bibliography Glover, Jonathan Causing Death and Saving Lives Penguin, 1977 Kant, Immanuel Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysic of ethical motive trans. T. K. Abbott, Longman, 1962 MacIntyre, Alasdair A Short History of Ethics Routledge, 1993 McNaughton, David Moral reverie An Introduction to Ethics Blackwell, 1992 Personal Autonomy and Individual Moral Growth Essay examples -- EthicsPersonal Autonomy and Individual Moral Growth The term autonomy, from the Greek roots autos and nomos self + law refers to the right or capacity of individuals to govern themselves. Agents may be said t o be autonomous if their actions are truly their own, if they may be said to possess moral liberty. The necessity of this moral liberty is made clear in the work of many philosophers, in that of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, for example, in whose Social Contract are discussed what Rousseau sees as the centrally important relationships between what he terms the general will, liberty, equality and fraternity. From this work also comes that most famous of all revolutionary rallying-cries, Rousseaus memorable and epigrammatic, Man is born free and everywhere he is in chains. The term is also a cornerstone of Kants ethical theory, in which the possession of autonomy of the will is a necessary condition of moral agency. For Kant, autonomy functions as the ability to know what morality requires of us, rather than as the freedom to pursue our ends. The possession of autonomy permits an agent to act on objective and universally valid rules of conduct certified by reason alone. In Kantian terminolog y, this idea is quite separate from heteronomy, the term Kant uses to refer to the condition of acting on desires which are not legislated by reason. In Chapter 2 of his Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysic of Ethics Abbott p. 46 Kant argues that we should repudiate all maxims that do not accord with the wills own enactment of universal law and Act only on that maxim whereby thou canst at the same time will that it should become a universal law. For Kant, any account grounded on the view that moral law is commanded from ... ...owledge and with its attendant moral dilemmas, there is a clear need for realism and, since individuals must both act and assume responsibility for their actions, little of value to be gained from, as McNaughton p.57 puts it, asserting that where there are many conflicting views there can be no correct answer. For the individual concerned to relate his sense of personal autonomy to a genuine quest for moral truth, the confident belief that, whilst truth m ay be difficult to discover, it nevertheless exists, remains a vital necessity. Bibliography Glover, Jonathan Causing Death and Saving Lives Penguin, 1977 Kant, Immanuel Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysic of Ethics trans. T. K. Abbott, Longman, 1962 MacIntyre, Alasdair A Short History of Ethics Routledge, 1993 McNaughton, David Moral Vision An Introduction to Ethics Blackwell, 1992