Autonomy and Social Interaction

Download or read book Autonomy and Social Interaction written by Joseph H. Kupfer and published by State University of New York Press. This book was released on 1990-08-14 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book makes a distinctive contribution to the growing discussion of autonomy. As the ability to determine one's life in both thought and action, autonomy is foundational among our many and varied values. Other philosophical treatments tend to emphasize the significance of autonomy for moral theory or institutional arrangements such as legal, political, or economic power structures. Kupfer, however, focuses on the context of social relations and interactions in which autonomous living occurs. He handles autonomy and social interaction reciprocally, so that the significance of each for the other is drawn out. In addition, key themes are threaded throughout, such as the nature of dependency, self-concept and self-knowledge, and authority.