Autonomy
Autonomy is the condition of something that does not depend on anything else.
- In politics, a self-governing city or region, e.g. Kurdistan, Kosovo or Hong Kong SAR (not necessarily as a result of formal secession), is autonomous. Autonomy is usually a pre-requisite to separation or secession, however, autonomy does not necessarily lead to separation. Autonomy is not independence.
- In Eastern Christianity, autonomy is the status of a hierarchical church whose head bishop is appointed by a higher-ranking bishop, often a patriarch, who has no other authority over the autonomous church. This status is one step short of autocephaly.
- In computing, a peripheral that can be used with the computer turned off (for example, a multifunction printer/copier/fax machine that can still copy and fax without the computer being turned on), is autonomous.
- A company and its computer software package, which performs pattern recognition with a Bayesian algorithm, used by e.g. governments and intelligence agencies; see Autonomy Systems.
- Within the self-determination theory (SDT) (Ryan & Deci, 2000) in psychology, autonomy refers to 'autonomy support versus control', "hypothesizing that autonomy-supportive social contexts tend to facilitate self-determined motivation, healthy development, and optimal functioning."
See also
- Science and technology
- Multifunctional
- Autonomous system testing robot
- Autonomous system (Internet)
- Autonomous system (mathematics)
- Autonomous building
- Territories and organizations