ABSTRACT
Since self-constitution is the final dimension of autonomy, and hence rounds out the four-dimensional theory, this will also be an appropriate place to pause and take stock. To be an autonomous agent is to be owed basic recognition respect. That is to say, to be an autonomous agent is to have a particular status, which entitles one to be treated in a certain way. Like the other dimensions, though, self-constitution also comes in degrees. An individual can be more or less self-constituting depending on how well she satisfies the three conditions of autonomous agency. Self-definition, self-realisation, and self-unification were only concerned with how well an agent upheld her own commitments, irrespective of what those commitments were. An agent can also fall short of being highly self-constituting through the exercise of her practical agency. An agent manifests high self-constitution when she takes seriously the endeavor of practical deliberation.
