Heteronomy

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In contrast to autonomy, heteronomy is the legality or determination of others and means dependence on external influences or the will of others. Romano Guardini , who himself does not see a dialectical relationship, but rather a polar tension unit between autonomy and heteronomy, introduced the term allonomy due to the derogatory evaluation of the term . Since Immanuel Kant , the term heteronomy has been used as a counter-term to autonomy in the sense of free will . But even with him, heteronomy is not synonymous with unrestricted external control, which would no longer recognize personal responsibility . You can also choose heteronomy yourself.

Humanities

philosophy

For Kant, heteronomy is the counterpart of the sensus communis . Public spirit only arises where everyone reflects for themselves. Superstition is a hallmark of heteronomy .

psychology

In psychology , the topic of heteronomy is discussed as a relationship of dependency to people or to diseases , on the basis of which a person can no longer make free will decisions. Above all, adults who have failed to emancipate themselves from educational situations are not autonomous . He is not independent and autonomous in the sense of a dependency from previous relationships (educational situations). In this respect, he did not manage one of the most important development tasks. In pedagogy , for authors like Jean Piaget and Lawrence Kohlberg, heteronomy (“rules are sacred”) together with autonomy form area-specific stages of development in moral judgment that are dependent on the respective developmental conditions. The representatives of the self-determined living movement in particular take the view that other factors such as e. B. Prejudices, structural conditions or social conventions can lead to such restrictive relationships of dependency.

sociology

Max Weber deals with the topic of heteronomy in the context of his studies on the medieval city of the Occident, in which he observes a development from heteronomy to autonomy. The criteria for the autonomous as opposed to the heteronomous city are its institutional character, municipal autonomy , the form of a legal cooperative with a rational, established public and subjective law and beginning democratic structures, the economic orientation of the citizen to market opportunities and the beginnings of a modern proletariat. In addition, there is the breaking of traditional ties and a sharp separation between town and country. In this sense, the previous heteronomous city is shaped by the opposite criteria. The urban sociological observations of Max Weber can also be transferred to other natural, sociological and legal persons and groups analog.

theology

In theology , a distinction is made between heteronomy as involuntary dependence on the will ( tyranny ), heteronomy as voluntary willful obedience to natural authorities, and heteronomy as willful obedience to God ( theonomy ). According to Roger Lenaers , heteronomy or heteronomous thinking describes the ideas and the world of thought of traditional religions, according to which there is a parallel world outside of the directly perceptible to humans. God, gods, saints, angels and other heavenly beings live in it. This world is thought of as real and resembles (through projection) in many respects the real perceptible world; it influences the real in many ways. This view is obsolete with increasing awareness . For Lenaers, the counterpart to heteronomous thinking is autonomous thinking or autonomy, according to which there is exclusively the scientifically perceptible world. He sees theonomous thinking or theonomy as a modern compromise. This is to be understood as a world view that on the one hand completely corresponds to the scientific worldview, on the other hand regards everything perceptible as God's self-revelation.

Political Science and Law

In political science , the term is mainly used in relation to the sovereignty and autonomy of a state or political association. Wherever the constitutional order of a state or association is set from outside, it is heteronomous. Conversely, however, the state is precisely an institution towards which the individual person or groups organized in it are heteronomous. Here, then state absolutism and anarchy the corresponding extremes of the ratio of Heteronomy and autonomy.

In jurisprudence , one speaks of heteronomy in relation to corporations if they are e.g. B. must be directed towards other actors through legal regulations. For example, the head and staff of a heterocephalic association are appointed by outsiders.

When withdrawing from an attempt to commit a criminal offense (Section 24 of the Criminal Code), one speaks of heteronomous reasons if these are outside the perpetrator's sphere of will - for example the looming danger of the crime being discovered by the police. In contrast to this are the autonomous reasons, which are not compelling, external obstacles, but those based on a voluntary decision of the perpetrator, for example if the perpetrator regrets his act. The details of the delimitation are of course highly controversial in the literature.

literature

  • Liselotte Ahnert : Early bonding . Munich. 2004.
  • Frankfurt Working Group for Political Theory & Philosophy (Ed.): Autonomy and Heteronomy of Politics. Political thinking between post-Marxism and post-structuralism . Transcript publishing house. Bielefeld. 2004. ISBN 3-89942-262-7
  • Roger Lenaers: The Dream of King Nebuchadnezzar. The end of a medieval church . copy-us Verlag GmbH. Kleve. 2005. ISBN 3-935861-15-X
  • Karl Reitter : Processes of Liberation: Marx, Spinoza and the Conditions of the Free Community. Westfälisches Dampfboot Verlag, Münster 2011, ISBN 978-3-89691-887-1 .

Web links

Wiktionary: Heteronomy  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations
Wiktionary: External determination  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. Immanuel Kant : Critique of Judgment . (1790) Edited by Wilhelm Weischedel, special edition, Suhrkamp, ​​Frankfurt / M 1995, stw, ISBN 3-518-09327-4 , text and pages identical to vol. X of the work edition. S. 222-226, KdU B 153-158, § 39-40.
  2. Wessels; Beulke: Criminal law. General part . 34th edition. Heidelberg. 2005.