| The term autonomia/Autonome was first used in 1620, having been composed out of two [[Greek]] words, "auto–nomos", referring to someone or something which lives by his/her own rule. ''Autonomy'', in this sense, is not [[independence]]. While independence refers to an [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autarky autarchic] kind of life, [[separated]] from the [[community]], ''autonomy'' refers to life in [[society]] but by one's own rule. Though the notion of ''autonomism'' was alien to the ancient Greeks, whose society was not an all-[[inclusive]] one, the concept is indirectly endorsed by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristotle Aristotle], who stated that only [[beasts]] or gods could be independent and live apart from the ''polis'' ("community"), while [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immanuel_Kant Kant] defined the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Enlightenment Enlightenment] by autonomy of [[thought]] and the famous "Sapere aude" ("[[dare]] to know"). | | The term autonomia/Autonome was first used in 1620, having been composed out of two [[Greek]] words, "auto–nomos", referring to someone or something which lives by his/her own rule. ''Autonomy'', in this sense, is not [[independence]]. While independence refers to an [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autarky autarchic] kind of life, [[separated]] from the [[community]], ''autonomy'' refers to life in [[society]] but by one's own rule. Though the notion of ''autonomism'' was alien to the ancient Greeks, whose society was not an all-[[inclusive]] one, the concept is indirectly endorsed by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristotle Aristotle], who stated that only [[beasts]] or gods could be independent and live apart from the ''polis'' ("community"), while [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immanuel_Kant Kant] defined the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Enlightenment Enlightenment] by autonomy of [[thought]] and the famous "Sapere aude" ("[[dare]] to know"). |