Abstract

This chapter is an exploration of the changing perceptions of the self—particularly the shift from a relatively strong sense of self-reliance to the contemporary understanding of the self as vulnerable. This shift is best captured by the changes in our relationship to and thinking about autonomy, moral independence, and identity, on which much contemporary hostility to autonomy rests. The significance of linking the ideal of self-consciousness and self-determination—that is, autonomy—constitutes the main argument and focus of this chapter.