--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: about runaway trolleys!” This is an…" description: "\"“about runaway trolleys!” This is an example of what Kant would call heteronomous determination —doing something for the sake of something else, for th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ee/michael-j-sandel-32311_freedom_about-runaway-trolleys-this-is-an-exampl_1674773.jpg" --- # about runaway trolleys!” This is an example of what Kant… ![“about runaway trolleys!” This is an example of what Kant would call heteronomous determination —doing something for the sake of something else, for the sake of something else, and so on. When we act heteronomously, we act for the sake of ends given outside us. We are instruments, not authors, of…” quote by Michael J. Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ee/michael-j-sandel-32311_freedom_about-runaway-trolleys-this-is-an-exampl_1674773.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ee/michael-j-sandel-32311_freedom_about-runaway-trolleys-this-is-an-exampl_1674773.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ee/michael-j-sandel-32311_freedom_about-runaway-trolleys-this-is-an-exampl_1674773.jpg) > ““about runaway trolleys!” This is an example of what Kant would call heteronomous determination —doing something for the sake of something else, for the sake of something else, and so on. When we act heteronomously, we act for the sake of ends given outside us. We are instruments, not authors, of the purposes we pursue. Kant’s notion of autonomy stands in stark contrast to this. When we act autonomously , according to a law we give ourselves, we do something for its own sake, as an end in itself. We cease to be instruments of purposes given outside us. This capacity to act autonomously is what gives human life its special dignity. It marks out the difference between persons and things.”” [Michael J. Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-sandel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Acting for external rewards makes us instruments, while self‑imposed principles grant dignity and autonomy. **In simple terms:** Freedom comes from self‑chosen goals. Key Takeaway Choose self‑determined actions. Themes ethics autonomy human dignity philosophy Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - career decisions - political activism - personal goals Key Concepts Kantian ethics moral agency instrumentalism Questions to Reflect On - What internal law guides you? - When do external pressures dominate? A Different Perspective Autonomy can clash with social obligations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Autonomously According](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autonomously-according-896060/) [Autonomy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autonomy/) [Example Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/example-kant-896061/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Human life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-life/) [Kant Heteronomous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kant-heteronomous-896059/) [Notion Autonomy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/notion-autonomy-896062/) ## Related quotes > [It's too simplistic to advance the notion of the autonomy of art as a reason for turning away from the public. 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Nothing creative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brito/autonomous-people-assert-themselves-against-the-status-quo-they-don-t/) [Maria Brito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brito/) > [Autonomy means women defining themselves and the values by which they will live, and beginning to think of institutional arrangements which will order their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerda-lerner/autonomy-means-women-defining-themselves-and-the-values-by-which-they/) [Gerda Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerda-lerner/) > [The Palestinian Arabs will have their autonomy, we will have our security. We shall live together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/menachem-begin/the-palestinian-arabs-will-have-their-autonomy-we-will-have-our/) [Menachem Begin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/menachem-begin/) > [“She isn't anybody's,' Rook said darkly. 'Son. she's not yours, either," Sarah Fleet said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaida-jones/she-isn-t-anybody-s-rook-said-darkly-son-she-s-not-yours-either-sarah/) [Jaida Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaida-jones/) > [We could encourage the best qualities of youthfulness - curiosity, adventure, resilience, the capacity for surprising insight simply by being more flexible about time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/we-could-encourage-the-best-qualities-of-youthfulness-curiosity/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) > [Throughout the last century there were multiple attempts at giving Afghan women more autonomy, to change marriage laws, to abolish the practice of bride…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/throughout-the-last-century-there-were-multiple-attempts-at-giving/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“Father had stretched out his long legs and was tilting back in his chair. Mother sat with her knees crossed, in blue slacks, smoking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/father-had-stretched-out-his-long-legs-and-was-tilting-back-in-his/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [Autonomy is impossible as long as one is driven by anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/autonomy-is-impossible-as-long-as-one-is-driven-by-anything/) [Gabor Mate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [The first step toward maintaining autonomy in any programmed environment is to be aware that there's programming going on. It's as simple as understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/the-first-step-toward-maintaining-autonomy-in-any-programmed/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [It’s hard to feel attracted to someone who has abandoned her sense of autonomy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/it-s-hard-to-feel-attracted-to-someone-who-has-abandoned-her-sense-of/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [“The idea of autonomy denies that we are born into a world that existed prior to us. It posits an essential aloneness; an autonomous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-b-crawford/the-idea-of-autonomy-denies-that-we-are-born-into-a-world-that/) [Matthew B. Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-b-crawford/) > [I don't want to be famous famous. I'm happy on the second tier, where I have autonomy on a professional level but I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-reece/i-don-t-want-to-be-famous-famous-i-m-happy-on-the-second-tier-where-i/) [Gabrielle Reece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-reece/) ## More by Michael J. Sandel > [ “\[T\]he commitment to a framework neutral among ends can be seen as a kind of value \[...\] but its value consists precisely in its… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-sandel/t-he-commitment-to-a-framework-neutral-among-ends-can-be-seen-as-a/) [Michael J. Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-sandel/) > [“Philosophy is a distancing, if not debilitating, activity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-sandel/philosophy-is-a-distancing-if-not-debilitating-activity/) [Michael J. Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-sandel/) > [“Moral excellence does not consist in aggregating pleasures and pains but in aligning them, so that we delight in noble things and take pain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-sandel/moral-excellence-does-not-consist-in-aggregating-pleasures-and-pains/) [Michael J. Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-sandel/) > [“Toleration and freedom and fairness are values too, and they can hardly be defended by the claim that no values can be defended. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-sandel/toleration-and-freedom-and-fairness-are-values-too-and-they-can/) [Michael J. Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-sandel/) > [“the moral worth of an action consists not in the consequences that flow from it, but in the intention from which the act is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-sandel/the-moral-worth-of-an-action-consists-not-in-the-consequences-that/) [Michael J. Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-sandel/) > [“And so, in the end, the question of markets is really a question about how we want to live together. Do we want a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-sandel/and-so-in-the-end-the-question-of-markets-is-really-a-question-about/) [Michael J. Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-sandel/) > [“Markets express and promote certain attitudes to the goods being exchanged.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-sandel/markets-express-and-promote-certain-attitudes-to-the-goods-being/) [Michael J. Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-sandel/) > [“We’re not only sentient beings, governed by the pleasure and pain delivered by our senses; we are also rational beings, capable of reason. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-sandel/we-re-not-only-sentient-beings-governed-by-the-pleasure-and-pain/) [Michael J. Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-sandel/) > [“philosophy teaches us and unsettles us by confronting us with what we already know; there's an irony: the difficulty consisted in this course is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-sandel/philosophy-teaches-us-and-unsettles-us-by-confronting-us-with-what-we/) [Michael J. Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-sandel/) > [“Outrage is the special kind of anger you feel when you believe that people are getting things they don't deserve. Outrage of this kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-sandel/outrage-is-the-special-kind-of-anger-you-feel-when-you-believe-that/) [Michael J. Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-sandel/) > [“A philosophy untouched by the shadows on the wall can only yield a sterile utopia.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-sandel/a-philosophy-untouched-by-the-shadows-on-the-wall-can-only-yield-a/) [Michael J. Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-sandel/) > [“(...) greed that preys on human misery (...)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-sandel/greed-that-preys-on-human-misery/) [Michael J. Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-sandel/) > [“A growing body of work in social psychology offers a possible explanation for this commercialization effect. These studies highlight the difference between intrinsic motivations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-sandel/a-growing-body-of-work-in-social-psychology-offers-a-possible/) [Michael J. Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-sandel/) > [“The descent of sport into spectacle is not unique to the age of genetic engineering. But it illustrates how performance-enhancing technologies, genetic or otherwise,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-sandel/the-descent-of-sport-into-spectacle-is-not-unique-to-the-age-of/) [Michael J. Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-sandel/) [Explore all 15 Michael J. Sandel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-sandel/) ## More Autonomy quotes > [I don't want to be famous famous. I'm happy on the second tier, where I have autonomy on a professional level but I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-reece/i-don-t-want-to-be-famous-famous-i-m-happy-on-the-second-tier-where-i/) [Gabrielle Reece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-reece/) > [“The idea of autonomy denies that we are born into a world that existed prior to us. It posits an essential aloneness; an autonomous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-b-crawford/the-idea-of-autonomy-denies-that-we-are-born-into-a-world-that/) [Matthew B. Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-b-crawford/) > [It’s hard to feel attracted to someone who has abandoned her sense of autonomy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/it-s-hard-to-feel-attracted-to-someone-who-has-abandoned-her-sense-of/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [The first step toward maintaining autonomy in any programmed environment is to be aware that there's programming going on. It's as simple as understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/the-first-step-toward-maintaining-autonomy-in-any-programmed/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [Autonomy is impossible as long as one is driven by anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/autonomy-is-impossible-as-long-as-one-is-driven-by-anything/) [Gabor Mate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [“Father had stretched out his long legs and was tilting back in his chair. Mother sat with her knees crossed, in blue slacks, smoking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/father-had-stretched-out-his-long-legs-and-was-tilting-back-in-his/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [Throughout the last century there were multiple attempts at giving Afghan women more autonomy, to change marriage laws, to abolish the practice of bride…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/throughout-the-last-century-there-were-multiple-attempts-at-giving/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [We could encourage the best qualities of youthfulness - curiosity, adventure, resilience, the capacity for surprising insight simply by being more flexible about time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/we-could-encourage-the-best-qualities-of-youthfulness-curiosity/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) > [“She isn't anybody's,' Rook said darkly. 'Son. she's not yours, either," Sarah Fleet said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaida-jones/she-isn-t-anybody-s-rook-said-darkly-son-she-s-not-yours-either-sarah/) [Jaida Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaida-jones/) > [The Palestinian Arabs will have their autonomy, we will have our security. We shall live together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/menachem-begin/the-palestinian-arabs-will-have-their-autonomy-we-will-have-our/) [Menachem Begin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/menachem-begin/) > [Autonomy means women defining themselves and the values by which they will live, and beginning to think of institutional arrangements which will order their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerda-lerner/autonomy-means-women-defining-themselves-and-the-values-by-which-they/) [Gerda Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerda-lerner/) > [“Autonomous people assert themselves against the status quo. They don't accept the prevailing opinion just because it's the one given to them. Nothing creative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brito/autonomous-people-assert-themselves-against-the-status-quo-they-don-t/) [Maria Brito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brito/) > [Black people cannot and will not become integrated into American society on any terms but those of self-determination and autonomy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerda-lerner/black-people-cannot-and-will-not-become-integrated-into-american/) [Gerda Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerda-lerner/) > [The civil magistrate cannot function without some ethical guidance, without some standard of good and evil. If that standard is not to be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-civil-magistrate-cannot-function-without-some-ethical-guidance/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Who hath desires must ever fearful be; Who lives in fear cannot be counted free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burton/who-hath-desires-must-ever-fearful-be-who-lives-in-fear-cannot-be/) [Robert Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burton/) [Browse all 418 Autonomy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autonomy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“about runaway trolleys!” This is an example of what Kant would call heteronomous determination —doing something for the sake of something else, for the sake of something else, and so on. When we act heteronomously, we act for the sake of ends given outside us. We are instruments, not authors, of the purposes we pursue. 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