“Goethe’s first major contribution to the discovery of the mind is that he provided a new model of autonomy.”

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's first major contribution to the discovery of the mind is that he provided a new model of autonomy or freedom. "Freedom" sounds less technical but is less clear and invites needless controversies; for example, about free will or politics. "Autonomy" suggests, strictly speaking, that one gives or has given laws to oneself; that one is self-governing; that in essentials one obeys one's own imperatives. Immanuel Kant made "autonomy" the centerpiece of his philosophy and discussed the term at length in his first major work on ethics, in 1785. Kant's fundamental intention was to show how human autonomy was possible in a deterministic, Newtonian universe. His commitment to human freedom as well as science had a great deal to do with the enormous impact of his philosophy. Philosophy students are taught the importance of proofs and refutations, and these are indeed invaluable for the training of undisciplined minds.