Editing Autonomy (section)

=== According to Piaget ===
The [[Switzerland|Swiss]] philosopher [[Jean Piaget]] (1896–1980) believed that autonomy comes from within and results from a "free decision". It is of [[Intrinsic value (ethics)|intrinsic value]] and the morality of autonomy is not only accepted but obligatory. When an attempt at social interchange occurs, it is reciprocal, ideal and natural for there to be autonomy regardless of why the collaboration with others has taken place. For Piaget, the term autonomous can be used to explain the idea that rules are self-chosen. By choosing which rules to follow or not, we are in turn determining our own [[Behavior|behaviour]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3zEfxTytFnIC&q=autonomy+and+piaget&pg=PA84|title=Piaget's Construction of the Child's Reality|last=Sugarman|first=Susan|year=1990|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0521379670}}</ref>

Piaget studied the cognitive development of children by analyzing them during their games and through interviews, establishing (among other principles) that the children's moral maturation process occurred in two phases, the first of [[heteronomy]] and the second of autonomy:
* Heteronomous reasoning: Rules are objective and unchanging. They must be literal because the authority are ordering it and do not fit exceptions or discussions. The base of the rule is the superior [[authority]] (parents, adults, the State), that it should not give reason for the rules imposed or fulfilled them in any case. Duties provided are conceived as given from oneself. Any moral motivation and sentiments are possible through what one believes to be right.
* Autonomous reasoning: Rules are the product of an agreement and, therefore, are modifiable. They can be subject to interpretation and fit exceptions and objections. The base of the rule is its own acceptance, and its meaning has to be explained. Sanctions must be proportionate to the absence, assuming that sometimes offenses can go unpunished, so that collective punishment is unacceptable if it is not the guilty. The circumstances may not punish a guilty. Duties provided are conceived as given from the outside. One follows rules mechanically as it is simply a rule, or as a way to avoid a form of punishment.