The Mental Capacity Act 2005 has put the assessment of mental capacity for decision-making at the forefront of psychiatric practice. This capacity is commonly linked within philosophy to (personal) autonomy, that is, to the idea, or ideal, of self-government. However, philosophers disagree deeply about what constitutes autonomy. This contribution brings out how the competing conceptions of autonomy would play out in psychiatric practice, taking anorexia nervosa as a test case.
Fabian Freyenhagen PhD is a Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Essex, UK. His research interests are in ethics, political philosophy, and the history of philosophy. Conflicts of interest: none declared
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