Matthew Henson. On April 6, 1909, Matthew Henson stood atop the world with Robert Peary as co-discoverer of the North Pole. When Henson descended from the frigid north his reception was distinctly cool, even in contrast to Peary's less than wholesale embrace by the American public.
Autonomy refers to a personâs right to self-management in terms of his conduct and affairs. Its literal meaning comes from the Greek word âautonomosâ with âautoâ meaning âselfâ and ânomosâ meaning âlawâ. Autonomy also defines a personâs right to make decisions on his own and not be forced or manipulated by anybody else.
Autonomy is a key concept that has a broad impact on different fields of philosophy. In moral philosophy, autonomy refers to subjecting oneself to objective moral law. Kant (1724â1804) argued that morality presupposes this autonomy (German: Autonomie) in moral agents, since moral requirements are expressed in categorical imperatives.