ABSTRACT
It is a commonplace in philosophical discussions of oppression to assume that it compromises autonomy. Indeed, this is often taken to be one of oppression's most distinctive and insidious harms. The first dimension of autonomy likely to be affected by violence is external self-realisation. At the most basic level, violence functions to prevent agents from achieving their intended ends. The other dimension of autonomy most likely to be affected by violence is self-unification. When agents respond to systematic threats of violence by refraining from horseplay, changing their wardrobe, or adopting excessively deferential modes of interaction, they risk damaging their self-unification. The belief that self-respect is dependent upon standing up for oneself is far from uncommon. Implicit biases are "relatively unconscious and relatively automatic features of prejudiced judgment and social behavior". Implicit biases are not normative in the way that self-defining attitudes are.
