Personal Autonomy in Society (Hardcover)

by Marina Oshana (Author) "The word "autonomy" derives from the Greek auto ("self") and nomos ("rule" or "law")..." (more)
Key Phrases: global autonomy, procedural authenticity, procedural independence, New York, United States, Gerald Dworkin (more...)

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Product Description
People are socially situated amid complex relations with other people and are bound by interpersonal frameworks having significant influence upon their lives. These facts have implications for their autonomy. Challenging many of the currently accepted conceptions of autonomy and of how autonomy is valued, Oshana develops a 'social-relational' account of autonomy, or self-governance, as a condition of persons that is largely constituted by a person's relations with other people and by the absence of certain social relations. She denies that command over one's motives and the freedom to realize one's will are sufficient to secure the kind of command over one's life that autonomy requires, and argues against psychological, procedural, and content neutral accounts of autonomy. Oshana embraces the idea that her account is 'perfectionist' in a sense, and argues that ultimately our commitment to autonomy is defeasible, but she maintains that a social-relational account best captures what we value about autonomy and best serves the various ends for which the concept of autonomy is employed.

About the Author
Marina Oshana is Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Florida, USA.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 190 pages
• Publisher: Ashgate Publishing (November 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0754656705
• ISBN-13: 978-0754656708
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: No customer reviews yet. Be the first.
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,965,099 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)