Independence and Individuality: Rethinking the Role of Autonomy in Liberal Education

Liberal K-12 education faces a predicament. It seeks to promote children’s personal autonomy. Yet this aim faces the problem that autonomy is usually conceived as an adult capacity, not something children can meaningfully exercise. K-12 education therefore often focuses on preparing children for autonomous adulthood, but these strategies for cultivating adult autonomy paradoxically risk undermining children’s present-day identities and values. This dissertation seeks a way out of these pitfalls by rethinking autonomy from the ground up. It distinguishes two complementary forms: autonomy-as-independence and autonomy-as-individuality. Autonomy-as-independence captures the day-to-day capacity for responsibility and liability, but it is not the most fitting lens for K-12 education. Autonomy-as-individuality, by contrast, is understood as a form of self-governance shaped by a narrative identity and oriented toward harmony across one’s commitments. This conception provides a more suitable foundation for developing a liberal framework for education: one that respects pluralism while also promoting autonomy for children as present learners and pending adults. This dissertation develops a framework for an autonomy-as-individuality enhancing education that draws on Diana Meyers’ relational account of autonomy, Joseph Raz’s teleological model of authority, and John Rawls’ conception of moral personhood. Together, these resources yield a liberal, autonomy-promoting theory of education that is both pluralist and neutral when promoting students’ future capacities, while still affirming the justice-relevance of children’s lives as learners.