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Intellectual Autonomy:
Autonomy is the ability of individuals to make decisions and govern themselves. With
this in mind, and according to the book by Dr. Jean Piaget, “The Moral Judgment of The Child,”
having intellectual autonomy means having the ability and criteria needed to tell true form false,
and make decisions accordingly. Given this fact, there are two types of intellectual people, the
ones who are intellectually autonomous (those who have the security and criteria to tell true from
false), and those who are intellectually heteronomous (those who follow others.)
Intellectual autonomy is of great importance because it is, in many ways the basis of moral and
social autonomy, and must be stimulated in the learner as an integral part of all subjects of study.
Sadly, traditional education has had the tendency of impairing its development in the student.
Piaget gives an example of this in his book. If a child writes “8+5=12” in her math homework,
her teacher has 2 options: he can follow tradition and mark the answer as false, and hand it back
to the child without any explanation. This would generate the perception in the child that the
answer is wrong not because she made a bad calculation, but because the teacher marked it as
false, making her believe that truth is something that belongs to those in positions of authority.
On the other hand, 2) if instead of marking the answer as wrong, the teachers gives the
student the chance of deducing, by her own means, the reason why her answer is inherently
incorrect, he will allow the child to understand that truth is something universal that everyone
can attain. The option to analyze and understand a mistake encourages autonomous thinking,
while expecting the mark or correction of a superior encourages heteronomous thinking in the
same child.
Accordingly, intellectual autonomy and independence in an individual is promoted
through options and the chance to make decision according to the individual’s developmental
level.
Children must make small decision from the beginning, such as deciding which colors or
materials they will use in an assignment. As the learners grow and develop, the decision that are