A Spinozistic Approach to Relational Autonomy: The Case of Prostitution

How do the relationships I entertain with others determine my autonomy? According to the traditional account of autonomy that can be traced back to Kant, such a question would not be well formulated. In that view, autonomy should be conceived as a freedom of self-rule. The extent to which an agent cultivates and improves her autonomy determines the kind of relationships she will be able to entertain with others – and not vice versa. However, in the last decades, feminist philosophers have charged the traditional account of autonomy as being too individualistic. They contend that autonomy cannot be understood without taking into serious consideration how social relationships and social bonds affect an agent’s autonomy. The notion of ‘relational autonomy’ has been used as an ‘umbrella term’ to investigate the social nature of autonomy. From this relational point of view, our relationships with others are necessary conditions for our autonomy.