Moral Respect

People often earn respect, but this is not the type of respect with which Kupler is chiefly concerned. Some people are more worthy of respect than others; however, what determines the standard of respect depends on autonomous choice and not simply on one's earthly achievements.

Kupler begins with an explanation of "earned moral respect" as that respect which a person "deserves in light of some moral achievement." (39) This type of respect is dependent on two levels of autonomous choice: 1) the level of daily choice--choosing where you work or whom you love, for example; and 2) the "deeper" level at which one examines his or her own values and acts according to them.(40) The person who acts independently of the pressures of conformity and moves toward his or her ideals is, of course, more autonomous than the person who simply copies another's ideals and assumes them as his or her own. Thus Kupler argues that "we earn moral respect" in what he calls the "second-order," or the level of thought that deals with deeper decisions. (40)

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urturing to grow. (43) Unlike a special talent, autonomy needs to be accorded freedom to develop on its own terms, like a lion cub needs to be nudged out into the world to learn survival skills. If, as both Kupler and Aristotle suggest, autonomy is natural, then it follows that human beings must be allowed to develop autonomously. Here Kupler inserts an important caveat: aggression cannot be confused with autonomy because aggression is directed specifically and, unlike autonomy, does not encompass the deep self-reflection that autonomy requires. Self-reflection depends on one's ability to reason and make to independent choices, while "non-autonomous" living results in a dependency that lacks critical thinking skills and will power. The inevitable end of a less-than-full human life. Autonomy is "extrinsically" valuable because it is the "basis for moral behavior and responsibility." (45) When autonomy is missing, persons cannot be held accountable for their actions, either positively or negatively. The more we make choices, the more morally responsible we become. Thus Kupler argues that autonomy is the "essential core" of moral being. (45) This brings Kupler to a discussion of why autonomy requires respect as opposed
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Approximate Word count = 1671
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)

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