The Autonomy of Personality: Witgenstein's Perspective and Its Significance for the Philosophy of Education

The article examines the nature of personal autonomy from the perspective of the philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein. The study made an attempt to expand the scope of Wittgenstein's philosophical ideas through understanding existential, ethical, and educational issues. On the basis of Frankfurt's hierarchical model of subjectivity, Wittgenstein's views on the sources of determination of a person's value system and on the nature of normative value are reconstructed. It is revealed that Wittgenstein denied understanding of the self as an independent entity, unconditioned by any external factors. In accordance with the Wittgenstein perspective, the human "Self" should be considered as a product of cultural and historical influences. The formation of the value system of an individual directly depends on the individual's involvement in various social practices. The author proves that the "public" criterion of the late Wittgenstein is compatible with the ideal of authenticity and allows revealing conditions necessary for a person to achieve genuine existence. In self-determination and self-appraisal, the individual must rely on the collective horizon of significance or a form of life". The study reveals the connection of authenticity with the concept of individual identity, the dependence of the self on its recognition by others. The reduction of the method of personal self-determination to a model of egocentric autonomy inevitably leads to the destruction of the ideal of authenticity. The author proves that the moral ideal of authenticity does not contradict Wittgenstein's criteria approach. Value systems in the form of desires of a higher order gain their normative status in the volitional structure of the individual due to the fact that they are located in the social space. The true existence of the individual implies an inevitable influence of other people and social groups in the framework of wide interaction. The way of life of society, norms, values, and social institutions serve as a constitutive principle, rather than as an obstacle, in the formation of personal autonomy and authenticity. The author shows that Wittgenstein carries out the socialization of human internal processes, which are localized in the natural language and become an active component of culture. Wittgenstein's arguments lead to the understanding that our intuitions about self-awareness and values are adapted to everyday forms of expression, to the world that is revealed to us through language. The author concludes that the Wittgenstein socially-oriented approach to the self, directed against manifestations of extreme individualism, can help develop a model of education that meets the spiritual needs of modern society. The heuristic potential of Wittgenstein's philosophy is to justify the fundamental ideal of educational activity, which should be authenticity, the authenticity of an individual human being, rather than autonomy.

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