Abstract
I begin with this question for a specific, local reason. When the Humanities Base theme of autonomy and responsibility is raised in the classroom, students frequently misperceive the terms as opposites: they see autonomy vs. responsibility. As a result, classroom discussions of this theme often go nowhere because the discussants have defined autonomy as one's right to do as one pleases and responsibility as a restriction imposed by those in power. Attempts to explore issues such as abortion, gun control, same-sex marriage, and physician-assisted suicide quickly become mired in the mono-theme of a debate between individual rights and social repression. What is needed to get these discussions off dead center is a different framework for considering the issues, one that includes more complex understandings of autonomy and responsibility.
Recommended Citation
August, Eugene R.
(1997)
"Self-Love and Social Are the Same: Reflections on Autonomy, Autobiography, and the Responsible Self,"
University of Dayton Review: Vol. 25:
No.
1, Article 4.
Available at:
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/udr/vol25/iss1/4
