1. The supremacy of reason in the sphere of morals, that is, a person's power, as possessed of reason, to give law to him or herself. In this, quite possibly, consist the true nature and only possible proof of freedom.
2. One who gives oneself his/her own law, it is the right to self-government in general, that is, one is independent, not controlled by others or by outside forces.
3. In the moral realm, autonomy refers to a person's capacity for self-determination in the context of moral choices. The individual is self-directed as well as independent in mind or judgment.
4. In moral and political philosophy, autonomy is often used as the basis for determining moral responsibility for one's actions. The idea is that the individual had the capacity of a rational individual to make an informed, un-coerced decision.

1. Identifying and expressing one's goals, at least to oneself.
2. Prioritizing those goals for oneself.
3. Finding some means to achieving these goals.
4. Anticipating the possible and probable consequences, both intended and unintended, of employing these means.
5. If the available means are either inadequate or likely to cause undesirable consequences, reassessing the possibilities both of developing further means or abandoning or altering one's goals.
6. Making a choice in light of the above considerations.
7. Later evaluating the effort and learning from any mistakes one might have made.   

REQUIREMENTS FOR A MINIMUM SATISFACTORY STANDARD OF LIVING

It is noteworthy that:

• The conditions for hygiene, security, and education are generally matters of government and other public authorities.

• Some industrial democracies, such as Germany and Japan, go even one step further. Their constitutions explicitly mention and affirm the above noted as material rights. Furthermore, the majority of liberal democracies provide their citizens with publicly funded education, health care, social security and unemployment benefits.

• But in the U.S., as one observer points out: "Not only are there no similar guarantees in the U.S. Constitution; Chief Justice William Rehnquist has made it clear that the Fourteenth Amendment is a limitation on the State’s power to act, not a guarantee of certain minimum levels of safety and security."

       However, this interpretation by Rehnquist is false. For the amendment states,

   . . . . nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

  Clearly, under this clause, if the government makes and enforces laws in favor of excessive wealth accumulation for one class, then this violates not only the Fourteenth Amendment but also one of the major intentions of the Constitution as stated in its Preamble (my emphasis):

  We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

• Special interest laws favoring the amassing of unearned wealth while accumulating a large national debt condemn the many and their posterity to psycho-economic insecurity. This comes about, for instance, when economic gains are privatized and economic losses are socialized. The generations afflicted by such a pernicious system are deprived of property and burdened with debts that reduces the quality and length of their lives and the extent of their liberties.

• An introduction to The Social Sphere with emphasis on The Common Moral Decencies and Ethical Excellences should start in kindergarten. These instructions should be sufficiently completed by the end of elementary school, 8th grade, but for sure by the end of high school, 12th grade. These moral principles are then internalized and practiced over a lifetime with the objective, though probably not achievable, of perfection.
• Concerning the subjects that make up The Intellectual World, learning should start in 1st grade and gradually advance to an adequate understanding by the end of high school, 12th grade. These intellectual skills so necessary for the skeptical state of mind are then improved and internalized for the rest of one's life.
• An understanding through comparing and contrasting the parts that make up The Social Sphere with its opposite The Abysmal Antisocial. It should culminate in the concepts that make up the triad to universal freedom and well-being, The Educated Citizen, The Just Social Contract, and Functional Democracy. These social studies should be adequately completed by the end of high school, 12th grade,

D.       Obstacles to Achieving an Adequate Education

Dams of antisocial artifices prevent the stream of rational and humane education from reaching the ocean of humanity.

                                                                    This writer

Antisocial forces produce citizens that are ill equipped to participate as informed voters and perhaps office holders. Although the afflicted are for the most part blameless, this immaturity is then used for arguments against democracy as for example by Winston Churchill (1871-1947) who said:

The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.

And the usually clear-thinking Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) claimed:

A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine.

Here, Jefferson ignores that most democracies are constitutional democracies, that is, the most precious human rights and that of minorities are protected by a constitution from the tyranny of the majority. However, elsewhere Jefferson emphasizes education when he proclaimed "A nation ignorant and free is something that will never be."