Autonomy is the idea that a person or group or nation is independent, separate, and self-sufficient. For Aristotle, this involved a rich variety of relationships: in family, society, friendship, active citizenship, and religious contemplation. Only someone connected in all these ways has everything a rational human being needs and so is self-sufficient. For most of Western political thought, the idea of individual autonomy is seen as a deceptive fiction, as individuals are actually dependent on so many others (economically, educationally, emotionally, spiritually).

A group's autonomy implies its independence from others, especially from its perceived antagonists. So, black Muslims claim autonomy from the white American power structure; feminist and lesbian movements assert autonomy from men. National autonomy, or a country's sovereignty, argues for a nation's freedom and independence from other countries' control over their economic or political affairs. As the world becomes more interdependent technologically, economically, and politically, national autonomy becomes less prevalent or realistic.

According to the Natural Law view of St. Thomas Aquinas, individuals and groups are inevitably related (to nature, society, God) whether they recognize it or not. Such an objective view of our condition differs from the autonomy perspective that regards individuals as self-determining. The question for much of political theory, then, is how much independence (personal or national) is possible within an interdependent reality. The United States has tried to reconcile this by allowing considerable private space (such as freedom of belief, movement, choice) while recognizing the complex interdependence of modern society.

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