Chapter 1 introduces the framework for the whole book. It explains each of the key terms—relational self, relational autonomy, and a relational approach to law and rights and identifies the major puzzles and problems this relational approach can give rise to. It explains why autonomy matters and why law should be the concern of everyone. This argument is also a response to challenges that these are the preoccupations of liberal theorists, which ought not to be reinforced by people (like me) who are trying to shift the individualistic premises of liberal theory. This chapter also explains how...

Chapter 1 introduces the framework for the whole book. It explains each of the key terms—relational self, relational autonomy, and a relational approach to law and rights and identifies the major puzzles and problems this relational approach can give rise to. It explains why autonomy matters and why law should be the concern of everyone. This argument is also a response to challenges that these are the preoccupations of liberal theorists, which ought not to be reinforced by people (like me) who are trying to shift the individualistic premises of liberal theory. This chapter also explains how my approach aims at transforming a traditionally individualistic conception of the self into a relational one, without subsuming the individual into the collective. I argue that the relational approach is actually the best way to respect the unique value of all individuals.