il. Kupler argues that the "imitator makes the virtuous conduct accidental" and that "some degree of autonomy" must be exercised." (40)
Another type of earned respect is that of "technical" respect: that is, the respect given to those with genius talents, a Mozart, for example. (41) Kupler suggests that what in actuality gains our respect is not the individual as an autonomous being, but rather the energy and stick-to-it-iveness of the person, the applied discipline. Mozart's accomplishment is undeniably the object of respect, but since he in fact did not chose to be gifted, he only chose to do the work to bring his gifts to fruition. One might make a distinction between discipline and autonomy; Kupler, however, thinks the two synonymous because one may have to exercise discipline in the face of "social pressure" or "parental authority." (41) Say, for example, a student really wants to be a painter, but her parents insist on law school. If this is the case, then the earned respect is almost always the same as moral respect in that it depends on the personal autonomy of the person who makes the moral decision.
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