Autonomy

This felt like a long day.  I taught this morning and this particular class session is my least favorite because we have to figure out how to get audio and video for everyone in the class.  Typically everyone has different cameras, audio recorders, operating systems, cords, etc., so it is ALWAYS total chaos.  All went well though, considering… only a few loose ends and moderately-frustrated customers.

I ran home for a quick lunch and then came back for two classes in a row.  Both classes were interesting again, but I don’t know if I stepped on some toes in the second class.  See, the second class is called “Modern Trends in Educational Philosophy” and we’re talking a lot about liberalism (which, in this case is not the opposite of conservatism).  It’s a political philosophy that basically says that we are all autonomous beings that can make our own choices, pursue happiness and determine our own future and our government should permit us to do that within reason.  So, we talked much about how education would look if we assumed this to be the case.  The problem was, that I’m not sure we have autonomy.  And, after taking that Foucault class, it’s very hard not to question how much we are shaped by the discourses of the day and if this whole idea of autonomy is a sort of dog and pony show.  Do we really make our own decisions or are we so inscribed in the ways of our world that our decisions are shaped for us?  Is the very idea of autonomy just a way for us to feel comfortable with the way society functions?  What I mean is, if we are happy thinking that we are autonomous beings, will we forget that we really aren’t autonomous?  I kind of think that the only way we can even become a little bit autonomous is to start to realize that we are exactly not autonomous… which I realize is quite the conundrum.

Well, my professor sort of really ascribes to this idea of autonomy, so when I posed some variation of those questions, he said, and I quote, “You don’t really believe that do you?”  Oh boy.  I explained a bit more and he’s a congenial enough guy, but he ended up basically saying that even if we might not be autonomous (which we can never really know), we should err on the side of presuming we are, since that would bring about the most just form of government (a liberal democracy, one that respects our autonomy).  At least I think that’s what he said.  I still need to percolate on this one.