Personal Autonomy
New Essays on Personal Autonomy and its Role in Contemporary Moral Philosophy

This 2003 volume brings together essays addressing the theoretical foundations of concept of autonomy.

James Stacey Taylor (Edited by)

9780521732345, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 11 August 2008

362 pages
22.6 x 15 x 2.3 cm, 0.49 kg

'This collection brings together the most important new work being done on personal autonomy today. Its distinguished list of contributors explain and develop their approaches to the central problems of autonomy both in theory and in practice. This work will surely become the standard textbook on autonomy for philosophy students today.' John Davenport, Fordham University

Autonomy has recently become one of the central concepts in contemporary moral philosophy and has generated much debate over its nature and value. This 2005 volume brings together essays that address the theoretical foundations of the concept of autonomy, as well as essays that investigate the relationship between autonomy and moral responsibility, freedom, political philosophy, and medical ethics. Written by some of the most prominent philosophers working in these areas, this book represents research on the nature and value of autonomy that will be essential reading for a broad swathe of philosophers as well as many psychologists.

Introduction James Stacey Taylor
Part I. Theoretical Approaches to Personal Autonomy: 1. Planning agency, autonomous agency Michael Bratman
2. Autonomy without free will Bernard Berofsky
3. Autonomy and the paradox of self-creation Robert Noggle
4. Agnostic autonomism Alfred Mele
5. Feminist intuitions and the normative substance of autonomy Paul Benson
6. Autonomy and personal integration Laura Waddell Ekstrom
7. Responsibility, applied ethics, and complex autonomy theories Normy Arpaly
Part II. Autonomy, Freedom and Moral Responsibility: 8. Autonomy and free agency Marina A. L. Oshana
9. The relationship between autonomous and morally responsible agency Michael McKenna
10. Alternative possibilities and personal autonomy Ishtiyaque Haji
11. Freedom within reason Susan Wolf
Part III. The Expanding Role of Personal Autonomy: 12. Procedural autonomy and liberal legitimacy John Christman
13. The concept of autonomy in bioethics: an unwarranted fall from grace Thomas May
14. Who deserves autonomy and whose autonomy deserves respect? Tom L. Beauchamp
15. Autonomy, diminished life, and the threshold for use R. G. Frey.

Subject Areas: Psychology [JM], Ethics & moral philosophy [HPQ], Philosophy [HP]