Individual Autonomy And Social Structure By Dorothy Lee Summary
489 Words2 Pages
People desire the ability to live life the way they want to, but laws and limitations prevent such freedom. However, other cultures display this possibility of independence which the community has. The article, Individual Autonomy and Social Structure by Dorothy Lee, attempts to depict the realistic harmony of personal autonomy and society's restrictions. The interpretation of this notion will analyze an example of the relationship between parent and child within an Indian tribe. As a result, it will show how individual autonomy will not affect the functionality of the social structure. The integration of human dignity into the social structure is a difficult principle to implement. Additionally, there are a multitude of factors such as freedom , regulation and the individual to accommodate within this fast tempo of living . Lee presents the idea to examine other communities who exercise the "conception of individual autonomy and democratic procedures which far outstrip anything we [...] have conceived of as a democracy (Lee 6)." By doing so, Lee hopes to find an answer to this problem. These…show more content… Babies do not get haircuts unless they specifically state that they want one. The mother will say that "he has not asked to have it cut (Lee 7)" which shows their deep respect for the independence of the newborn. With this in mind, the mother will not act for the child without authorization. This type of training will allow the infant to mature autonomously. Furthermore, it will grant the infant the ability to learn through his or her own experiences. The idea of respect and privilege engraves itself into the child's mind and personality at a young age, which shows that no person has complete authority over their decisions. For this reason, Lee's example presents how, through this type of nurture, children can attain individual autonomy while leading to an equilibrium with