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Is the Autonomy of the Will a Paradoxical Idea?
This essay tackles head on the argument that sees an inherent paradox in the autonomy of thewill as the ground for the authority of the fundamental practical norms. It points out that onlyon reductive understandings of the autonomy of the will can this idea be qualified asparadoxical, thereby yielding outcomes that either contradict their premises or presentautonomy under a false guise. With that done, it will proceed to offer a conception of theautonomy of the will which is not vulnerable to the paradox, and which may therefore beequipped to rest the fundamental practical norms on solid ground. Throughout thisdiscussion, I will rely on constitutivism about practical reasons to specifically defend thetwofold conclusion that (a) the paradox of autonomy can be avoided and that, relatedly, (b) ifautonomy is properly conceptualised, it is fully equipped and well positioned to ground theauthority of the fundamental practical norms.