The Metaphysics of Autonomy

If we want to be autonomous, what do we want? The author shows that contemporary value-neutral and metaphysically economical conceptions of autonomy, such as that of Harry Frankfurt, face a serious problem. Drawing on Plato, Augustine, and Kant, this book provides a sketch of how 'ancient' and 'modern' can be reconciled to solve it. But at what expense? It turns out that the dominant modern ideal of autonomy cannot do without a costly metaphysics if it is to be coherent.

'The author has a mastery of the literature on moral and political autonomy... [he has] made an interesting and original contribution to what is a vital contemporary debate.' - Professor Timothy O'Hagan, University of East Anglia

Autorentext
MARK COECKELBERGH received a PhD from the University of Birmingham. Presently he is a lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Maastricht. His main research interest is ethics. His publications include Liberation and Passion (2002).

Inhalt
Preface PART I The Modern Ideal of Autonomy Ancient Ideals of the Person: Plato and Augustine Problems with the Modern Ideal: The Need for Extension Using Plato and Augustine to Fill the Gap PART II Sartrean Existentialism: Extreme Freedom and Groundless Choice Frankfurt Hill's Idea of Autonomy The Ideal of the Person in Kant's Groundwork Bibliography Notes