Heteronomy
Determination of the will from outside — the opposite of autonomy: the will is guided by inclinations, utility or external authorities.
A will is heteronomous when it does not take its law from its own reason but receives it from outside: from drives and inclinations, from the prospect of happiness or advantage, from social pressure or divine commands.
For Kant, every heteronomous foundation of morality fails: at best it yields hypothetical imperatives — rules that bind only as long as one wills the respective end. Binding morality exists only where the will gives the law to itself, that is, in autonomy.
Where it appears
- Ethics — The categorical imperative
Source: Wikipedia: Heteronomy