Autonomy - AFS100805

• Title: Autonomy
• Guaranteed by: Institute of Philosophy and Religious Studies (21-UFAR)
• Faculty: Faculty of Arts
• Actual: from 2024
• Semester: summer
• Points: 0
• E-Credits: 5
• Examination process: summer s.:
• Hours per week, examination: summer s.:0/2, C [HT]
• Capacity: unknown / 30 (unknown)
• Min. number of students: unlimited
• 4EU+: no
• Virtual mobility / capacity: no
• State of the course: taught
• Language: English
• Teaching methods: full-time
• Note: course can be enrolled in outside the study plan; enabled for web enrollment
• Guarantor: Christopher Cowley, Ph.D.
• Teacher(s): Christopher Cowley, Ph.D.

Annotation

English

Please note: this course will be taught in both Czech and English, and therefore is not appropriate for students who do not understand Czech.
Frank Sinatra sang: "I did it my way." What does it mean exactly for a person to be autonomous? And is it always a good thing? At the basic level a person is autonomous if she is not manipulated or deceived or coerced into doing something that she does not want to do, both on a given occasion, and across her life. But beyond this the concept is notoriously hard to define (as is the related concept of 'authenticity'). All of us are sometimes persuaded, flattered or shamed into action. All of us have uncritically inherited some values from our parents or our peer group. All of us have a specific character that guides a lot of what we see, think, feel and do. And all of us sometimes just don't know what we want, and need help to figure it out. Despite all of this, our liberal-capitalist society encourages us to seek and admire autonomy almost above all else.

Last update: Cowley Christopher, Ph.D. (31.01.2025)

Czech

Frank Sinatra zpíval: „Udělal jsem to po svém.“ Co přesně znamená, že má člověk autonomii? A je to vždycky dobře? Na základní úrovni je člověk autonomní, pokud není manipulován, klamán nebo nucen dělat něco, co nechce, a to jak při dané příležitosti, tak v průběhu celého života. Kromě toho je však tento pojem notoricky obtížně definovatelný (stejně jako související pojem „autenticita“). Každý z nás je někdy přesvědčován, lichocen nebo zahanbován, aby jednal. Všichni jsme nekriticky zdědili některé hodnoty po svých rodičích nebo skupině vrstevníků. Všichni máme určitý charakter, který řídí mnoho z toho, co vidíme, myslíme, cítíme a děláme. A všichni někdy prostě nevíme, co chceme, a potřebujeme pomoc, abychom na to přišli. Přes to všechno nás naše liberálně-kapitalistická společnost povzbuzuje k tomu, abychom téměř nade vše hledali a obdivovali autonomii.<br>
Lektor bude mluvit anglicky, ale studenti mohou přispívat česky. Očekává se, že studenti napíší esej v češtině.<br>

Last update: Cowley Christopher, Ph.D. (31.01.2025)

Course completion requirements

In order to gain credit (zápočet) for this course, students must write an essay of 1500 words, comprising a summary and criticism of an argument in one of the readings assigned to the course. The essay should be in Czech or Slovak. Students must also attend 75% of the seminars.

Last update: Cowley Christopher, Ph.D. (31.01.2025)

Literature

Each week, students will be asked to read an article in English, approximately 20 pages long. The week's discussion will be about that week's article.

For a sense of the issues, students are advised to read the entry 'Autonomy in moral and political philosophy' on the on-line Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

Last update: Cowley Christopher, Ph.D. (04.12.2024)

Syllabus

The syllabus will be published on moodle.

Last update: Cowley Christopher, Ph.D. (27.01.2025)