ABSTRACT
This chapter examines some of the fundamental claims of key liberal thinkers on the issue of autonomy. It begins the discussion with an investigation of fundamental principles within the liberal democratic state that have a significant influence over how religion is viewed with respect to the construction and preservation of autonomy. The chapter discusses autonomy in relation to cultural membership. Autonomy essentially entails a certain kind of individual freedom, including the freedom for moral self-determination, the right to individual happiness or the pursuit of "the good life", and the freedom from coercion. The focus on autonomy is of interest with respect to religion, religious identity, and schooling, both in terms of protecting an individual from undue religious influence and protecting the individual's right to religious expression. The kind of autonomy MacMullen describes is ethical rather than moral. MacMullen's conditions for attaining autonomy as continuous rational reflection revolve primarily around the capacity for second-order thought.
