Kryštof Boháček Autonomy vs. Heteronomy

Kryštof Boháček
Autonomy vs. Heteronomy
Two Diverging Anthropological Concepts Behind the Ancient Controversy Between Rhetoric and Metaphysics

Plato’s Gorgias is traditionally seen as a clash between egoism and altruism, a moral rejection of voluntaristic rhetoric. However, this interpretation assumes the universal concept of man as an autonomous entity, fully responsible for his actions. I will show that Gorgianic rhetoric is based on a different, individual concept of man as determined primarily by his nature and further dependent on the particular situation.
Kryštof Boháček is associate scholar of Philosophy at the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague and Lecturer at the West Bohemian University. Currently he is a Jan Patočka Visiting Fellow at the IWM.