Autonomy — “Self-legislation” (from Greek autos = oneself; nomos = law). Kant placed autonomy at the center of ethics: to act morally is to act according to a law that reason gives to itself, independently of inclinations or external commands. Heteronomy — receiving the law from outside (pleasures, authority, custom) — is the negation of genuine morality. The concept of autonomy becomes foundational in liberal political philosophy as well.
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