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How did Kant’s idea of moral autonomy influence humanism?

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Fragment of a Roman fresco showing Socrates seated and draped in a white robe, with Greek text above, on a red background with visible cracks. — Philosophical anthropology Socrates, Roman fresco, 1st century bce; in the Ephesus Museum, Selçuk, Turkey.

Immanuel Kant’s concept of moral autonomy significantly shaped the development of humanism by redefining the human subject as a self-legislating agent. By moving away from the idea of the mind as a passive recipient of external information, Kant established that rational human beings possess the capacity to be their own moral legislators.1

This influence on humanism is characterized by several key principles:

Rational Agency: Kant argued that autonomy is the capacity to act according to rules that one can rationally will as universal laws, rather than being driven by external authorities, religious dictates, or contingent desires.234
Intrinsic Value: Because autonomous agents recognize their own capacity for reason, they must also recognize the intrinsic value of all other rational beings. This led to his second formulation of the categorical imperative: to treat humanity, whether in oneself or others, always as an end and never merely as a means.3
Moralized Humanism: By replacing the traditional view of independent, separate selves with a model of moral personality based on shared rational legislation, Kant provided the standard for a deeply moralized humanism.1

This shift moved the focus of human dignity from external or divine sources to the inherent rational and moral structure of the human person.41