This thesis is in charge of investigating whether or not there is an incompatibility between moral autonomy and political authority, based on one of the fundamental theses of the philosophical anarchism of the philosopher Robert P. Wolff: the autonomy of individuals is lost at the time when they are subordinate to political authority. And losing autonomy means losing freedom. The problem that motivates this work and its justification lies in examining whether the idea of being autonomous and that of being governed by what a political authority orders is incompatible. This doubt is important because it implies thinking, analyzing and making a decision that leads us to forge our own criteria with respect to the different positions that we find in political philosophy. In other words, how we citizens have to understand our role in society and how the State and the government should be. To carry out this examination, the first chapter will analyze the thesis of philosophical anarchism sustained by Robert Wolff, who affirms that human beings have a duty to be autonomous. This duty, according to Wolff, is directly opposed to any figure of political authority, that is, to the figures of the State. Thus, according to Wolff, people must choose between being autonomous, and free, to be vassals with respect to authority figures. However, the thesis defended by Wolff is not directly opposed to the existence of the State, rather it considers its existence as a provisional necessary evil to solve the practical problems arising from the negative externalities that arise in coexistence. In order to eventually reach a moral stage that allows social organization without the need to appeal to hierarchical organizations and political authorities. The second chapter will deal with the objections and criticisms that can be made to some of the postulates of Wolff's philosophical anarchism, especially in what has to do with the relationship between autonomy and authority. Finally, in the third chapter we will delve into the Kantian notion of autonomy, which is used by Wolff's philosophical anarchism to investigate to what extent the exclusive dichotomy of the terms authority-autonomy is sustained or not.
publication date
April 23, 2021 2:46 PM
Research
keywords
Analysis of the counter position of moral autonomy to political authority
