We explain what heteronomy is, both in its moral and legal sense. Also, various examples and differences with autonomy.
What is heteronomy?
By heteronomy (from the Greek heteros, “other”, and nomos“law”) we understand, in general, the legal, moral or philosophical condition, according to which an entity governs itself according to instructions or imperatives that come from outsidethat is, they have not originated in itself. In that sense, it is the opposite of autonomy.
Thus, a heteronomous being is one who lives life not according to his own self-determination, but by obeying the laws imposed by another, whether that other is an individual, society or some type of power. It may be that he does it against his will, or with some margin of indifference.
From a certain point of view, All human beings live according to heteronomous criteriain the sense that we are governed by a learned set of norms, rules and criteria, which are taught to us by our ancestors, or by the institutions of society itself.
However, We can choose when and whether to disobey laws imposed from outside. Therefore, it can be argued that respect for these norms occurs to a greater or lesser extent depending on the individual, and this demonstrates, at the same time, that we are autonomous.
moral heteronomy
Morality is the philosophical field in which the difference between good and evil is debated, understood as abstract concepts that govern human behavior. In that sense, moral heteronomy It is the learning of what is good and badtypical of when we are children: a learning that is generally dictated to us from outside, that is, taught to us by our parents, at school and is reinforced by discourses from society.
However, its purpose is to build morally autonomous individuals: that they do not require the surveillance of third parties to be able to determine what is good and what is evil, but that they already have the norm incorporated, and can, based on it, exercise individual freedom and conscience.
Heteronomy in law
In the legal field is where heteronomy is most easily perceived, because All laws that exist are mandatory for life in society. This obligation also includes legal regulations and contracts.
The State forces us to abide by those norms that we did not propose, nor do they come from our social experience, but rather are much older. It guarantees its obligation through the monopoly of violence and coercion.
From the moment we are born we are inserted in a regulated, regulated world, with laws drawn up in advance and collected in different bodies of laws, whose purpose is to guarantee social peace. If we refuse to comply with the laws by which society as a whole has agreed to govern itself, it will have the right to punish us in some way, or in the worst case scenario we will lose the right to live in society.
As will be seen, Legally we are all heteronomous beings.
Heteronomy and autonomy
The fundamental difference between heteronomy and autonomy has to do with the place of origin of the norms that govern the individual, depending on the case. When the norms come from the individual himself, he is said to be an autonomous individual.; but when they do not come from him, but from others, then we speak of a heteronomous individual.
There has been much philosophical debate between this distinction, and regarding where the limits of individual freedom lie. Philosophers such as Immanuel Kant or Cornelius Castoriadis have ventured into the subject.
Example of heteronomy
A radical example of heteronomy is the condition of slavery: Slaves were legally incapable of governing themselves, as they could not own property or exercise individual freedom. Instead, they were constantly subject to the will of their master, who gave them all kinds of instructions and determined, for them, what was good for them and what was not.
Continue in: Slavery
References
- “Heteronomy” on Wikipedia.
- “Heteronomy” in the Language Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy.
- “Heteronomy” in Learn Online (Colombia).
- “Autonomy and moral heteronomy” at the National Institute of Educational Technologies and Teacher Training (Spain).
- “Heteronomy” in Webdianoia Philosophy Glossary.
