1)
“This may be why feminist philosophers find this individualist tradition of autonomy to be”...inhospitable to women, one that represents a masculine-style pre-occupation with self-sufficiency and self-realization at the expense of human connection” (Friedman,2000,p.35)
Response:
This statement resonated with me because it calls out the gender based double standards of autonomy and independence. Historically, it has been easier for men to leave their family behind in pursuit of their goals because of the support they received. In contrast, women were expected to provide the support that allowed men to leap towards their dreams. The idea of a successful man often just includes him and the goals he achieved whereas for a woman to be deemed successful her goals were measured in relation to her being able to take care of her family. Both my parents pursued their pHDs around the same time. I noticed unlike my dad, my mother was calculating the classes me and my siblings were in, if we were in an important transition phase that needed her attention and everything in between. This just goes to show how there is an added layer of concern with each autonomous decision a woman makes.
2) External Approaches are typically constitutively relational accounts because they posit the strong claim that autonomy is not merely caused by social patterns, but itself constituted by “social relationships, norms, and institutions.” (Mackenzie, 2021, p. 36)
Response:
This statement resonated with me because it steps away from the individualistic approach of autonomy and acknowledges the influence of social relationships and the environment one grows up in. My mother stepped down from her head of department role after I got a low grade in linear algebra in 6th grade. To her, she might have made that decision autonomously. But the values instilled in her by society must have influenced her decisions. She told me it was a wake up call that she was not focusing on her kids. My dad didn’t seem to be as shocked by this. He didn’t come home earlier or set aside time to tutor me after-school. Why did my mother assume this was her responsibility? Because the external environment she was raised in instilled values in her told her so.
3) On Harry Frankfurt's hierarchical approach (Taylor, 2005, p. 1), a person with a first-order desire to act must possess a congruent second-order volition for that desire to move them “all
the way to action” (Frankfurt, 1971, p. 10) to be autonomous. This means that someone who wants to want to eat a cake would be autonomous in their desire because their second-order volition is identified with their first-order desire.
Response:
This statement made me realize how difficult it is to determine whether a decision is truly autonomous. It is mentioned how “wanting to want the decision or action” will make it autonomous. However, the aspect of wanting something is also influenced by the social values imposed on oneself. This made me reflect on if any decision I make is truly mine and how everything I do is somehow in relation to my environment.