Abstract

Many philosophers have agreed that the emotional subject in general, and the angry subject in particular, are the antitheses of the rational autonomous agent. My project challenges this view. I argue that it is possible for an agent who is in the throes of emotion nevertheless to achieve autonomy. ;The first chapter lays out my basic conception of autonomy. The autonomous person is one who is authentic and free. The autonomous person does not simply act upon her interests or attitudes, but examines those interests and attitudes. Autonomy thus involves an array of capacities such as the ability of an agent to discern and pursue her own values, desires, interests, and attitudes. ;The second chapter argues that Harry Frankfurt has not shown the impossibility of autonomy through emotion. In particular, I argue against Frankfurt's view that a condition such as love, whether construed as a condition of the will or as an emotion, needs to be disinterested in order to be the basis of autonomy. ;The third chapter develops the argument that emotions in general can be the basis of autonomy. I explore specific qualities of the emotions that can be particularly useful for connecting autonomy and the emotions, namely, evaluation and attention. ;In Chapter Four I focus specifically on the emotion of anger. I argue that anger has particular qualities that help to reduce the risk of heteronomy. Anger, for example, helps us to become aware of harm and also repel and reduce harm. Anger can also play a role in the activity of caring or valuing by bringing awareness of what one values. ;Finally, in Chapter Five, I further explore the implications of emotions like anger for autonomy. I argue that the traits of anger, as described in the previous chapter, help ensure the autonomy of women. Traditionally subordinated groups such as women often feel tremendous amounts of anger toward the dominant members of their society. While this anger achieves little if ignored, if recognized and valued it can stimulate the authentic awareness and liberty necessary to achieve autonomy