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ARTICLES:
Autonomy in Stratified Structures
Issue: 14:1 (The fifty-second issue)
This article proposes a minimalist concept of autonomy that is consistent with
determinism, but negates fatalism. Drawing on Nicolai Hartmann's stratified
ontology, it argues that autonomy is achieved not by suspending physical laws,
but by introducing new, higher-level determinations unique to individual
entities. The tension between general laws and individual autonomy is resolved
by emphasizing the unique properties and individual laws that apply to each
entity. The article also explains how this minimal autonomy makes sense of
setting goals and attempting to achieve them, demonstrating that even within a
deterministic framework, individuals can have meaningful influence over their
actions and outcomes.
Keywords: autonomy, stratified ontology, determinism, individuality,
philosophy of mind
determinism, but negates fatalism. Drawing on Nicolai Hartmann's stratified
ontology, it argues that autonomy is achieved not by suspending physical laws,
but by introducing new, higher-level determinations unique to individual
entities. The tension between general laws and individual autonomy is resolved
by emphasizing the unique properties and individual laws that apply to each
entity. The article also explains how this minimal autonomy makes sense of
setting goals and attempting to achieve them, demonstrating that even within a
deterministic framework, individuals can have meaningful influence over their
actions and outcomes.
Keywords: autonomy, stratified ontology, determinism, individuality,
philosophy of mind
