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| Autonomism |
| John
Speaking
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 I
agree that there are are lots of problems with libertarianism and with utilitarianism.
But I think it is a mistake to think about justice as
though those are our only choices. The philosopher Lawrence Haworth has suggested an alternative that he calls "Autonomism."Haworth argues that neither liberty nor happiness itself is of much value unless it is the liberty or happiness of an autonomous human being. Liberty, for example, provides a space in which we can experiment with different ways of living. But that space has no value unless we have developed the critical reasoning abilities of an autonomous person. In other words, both theories presuppose the value of personal autonomy -- which Haworth understands as a life characterized by critical reflection on and choice of values and goals. Haworth believes that the bedrock value underlying both libertarianism and utilitarianism is autonomy. He then goes on to argue that people have a right to the conditions that allow and facilitate autonomous life. In other words, we're back to the difference between negative and positive rights (i.e., non-interference rights versus rights to the means necessary to do things). Haworth has tried to develop a theory of positive rights based on the idea that the value of autonomy is presupposed by both libertarians and utilitarians. |
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