ScholarOne - Autonomy as Virtue: Revising Neo-Kantian Autonomy in Mill's Notion of Individuality

Although recognised, John Stewart Mill's Kantian influences have not been thoroughly discussed. For my discussion, I draw largely upon the Kantian principles of the duty of virtues scheme. This take on neo-Kantian autonomy theories is appropriate to my interpretation of Mill's individuality. I show that such a revision of autonomy, which draws from Mill's liberalism by means of libertarian principles, is rooted in the Kantian duty of virtues scheme. In this line of argument, I re-situate contemporary neo-Kantian personal autonomy theories within contemporary discourses of political liberalism and in liberal normative ethics. I suggest an alternative to Kantian autonomy on the basis of Mill's individuality, on a theoretical level, but also to initiate a discussion of the significance of the above for current political discourses on liberalism.