Abstract

The principle of respect for autonomy is undeniably afforded particular salience in Western bioethics. At least part of the reason for this is that autonomy is often understood to have a central role in the good life. In this chapter, the author argues that autonomy does not have merely instrumental prudential value; instead, autonomy is at least partly _constitutive_ of well-being, since there is a special value in living a life that is one’s own. He defends a well-known argument that speaks in favour of this conclusion, before going on to consider the value of different elements of autonomy, according to the framework adopted in this book. The author concludes by assessing how autonomy can conflict with other central values in bioethics, and how the claim that autonomy has significant prudential value has important implications for how we should understand the concept of beneficence in bioethics.