Autonomy-Based Liberalism and Political Perfectionism

Abstract

Following a conceptual clarification of the terms ‘autonomy’ and ‘autonomy-based liberalism’, Raz’s autonomy-based perfectionism and Kymlicka’s autonomy-based antiperfectionism will be examined. In addition, we will take a closer look at Chan’s multicentered perfectionism, which is a theory of political perfectionism that is also reconcilable with the concept of autonomy. Finally, it will be argued that autonomy-based liberalism is both reconcilable with antiperfectionism (Kymlicka) and with a ‘democratic’ or ‘multicentered’ form of perfectionism (Chan).