Lesson One: Introduction
Review: In the previous unit we discussed the determinants of identity and how these affect our values and actions. This lesson should reflect these ideas in the following questions: how does the extent of a person’s autonomy affect his/her identity? How do the values associated with identity affect how one exercises his/her autonomy?
The following will be a central question throughout the unit, so keep it in mind over the course of your studies: Do I control my decisions?
1. How do we define “autonomy”? Try to come up with a working definition based on the following examples of what autonomy is (YES) and isn’t (NO):
YES:
• Legally, parents have the right to raise their children in the way they feel is best, with limited restriction from provincial or federal government. For example, there is no law that specifies how many hours a parent should read to their children per night.
• Twelve students at Bialik High School form a sci-fi club, and as a group, decide what the goals of the club are, how often and where they will meet, and what sort of behavior is expected of club members. The school administration has no input in the club's activities or decisions.
• Judah's parents work late every day, and he takes it upon himself to do the family's grocery shopping. His mother doesn't give him a grocery list, but provides $50 twice a week to buy food for his and his siblings' dinners. Judah selects groceries based on his understanding of nutrition and sense of commitment to his siblings.
NO:
• Katherine can't decide which boy to ask to the dance, so she has her friend Jessica choose for her.
• In North Korea, citizens are bound by law to accept socialist principles. Any behavior that indicates a
rejection of socialism is a punishable crime.
• The Quebec Education Program determines the subject content teachers must cover in the elementary and secondary general studies curricula.
Your final definition of autonomy should be refined: an individual’s capacity for self-governance; the ability to live one’s life based on principles that he or she selects of his/her own personal will, rather than on political, religious, or societal constraints. The concept differs from raw freedom because it implies a code of action rather than arbitrary whim.
2. Examine the following quote and respond to the questions below.
“Our treatment of both older people and children reflects the value we place on independence and autonomy. We do our best to make our children independent from birth. We leave them all alone in rooms with the lights out and tell them, ‘Go to sleep by yourselves.’ And the old people we respect most are the ones who will fight for their independence, who would sooner starve to death than ask for help.” –Margaret Mead
a. Is there a difference between Independence and autonomy?
b. Re-read the final sentence. What does it say about how an autonomous person behaves in relation to other people?
c. Do you agree that we should “respect most…the ones who…would sooner starve to death than ask for help”? Why or why not?
d. Why do you think we value autonomy so deeply?
Consider the following: Do people value autonomy over security? Which is more important to them?
3. Personal reflection. Agree or disagree with the following statement and explain your answer: The more autonomy I have, the more responsible I am for my own actions.
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