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Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3887-112X
AccessType
Open Access Dissertation
Document Type
dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Degree Program
Philosophy
Year Degree Awarded
2020
Month Degree Awarded
May
First Advisor
Hilary Kornblith
Second Advisor
Peter Graham
Third Advisor
Sophie Horowitz
Fourth Advisor
Tara Mandalaywala
Subject Categories
Ethics and Political Philosophy | Feminist Philosophy
Abstract
While it is intuitive to many that oppressive socialization undermines autonomy in virtue of its ability to shape the desires and values of the oppressed, it’s difficult to provide a plausible account of autonomy that can explain when and why socialization is autonomy undermining. I provide such an account, arguing that self-respect is a necessary condition for autonomous choice and that oppressive socialization functions in part by undermining the self-respect of the oppressed. On my account, our choices lack autonomy to the degree that they are motivated by a failure to respect ourselves as beings whose plans and desires matter as much as anyone else’s; whose capacity for rational deliberation and practical reasoning are valuable; and whose particularities and interests contribute to our value. This theory of personal autonomy is able to account for the lack of autonomy in a wide range of cases, for example, a cult member being brainwashed by a cult leader, or a wife being subservient to her husband. I defend this account against objections which claim that it is disrespectful to the oppressed to claim that their autonomy is undermined by their oppression, and in the final chapter, I expand my theory to explain not only what our minds must be like for us to be autonomous, but also what the world outside of us must be like.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7275/17211283
Recommended Citation
Wilson, Andrea, "Autonomy, Oppression, and Respect" (2020). Doctoral Dissertations. 1919.
https://doi.org/10.7275/17211283
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_2/1919