heteronomy

[het-uh-ron-uh-mee]

noun

the condition of being under the domination of an outside authority, either human or divine.

Origin of heteronomy

First recorded in 1815–25; hetero- + -nomy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for heteronomy

Historical Examples of heteronomy

It is called autonomy of Will and is contrasted with heteronomy.
Morals and the Evolution of Man
Max Simon Nordau
This heterogeneous articulation (heteronomy) is the more pronounced the higher the whole organization.
The Wonders of Life
Ernst Haeckel
To make the judgements of others the determining grounds of his own would be heteronomy.
Kant's Critique of Judgement
Immanuel Kant
In contrast with the Legislative, the Executive power expresses the heteronomy of the nation in contrast with its autonomy.
The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte
Karl Marx

Word Origin and History for heteronomy

n.

1798, "subjection to the rule of another power," from hetero- + Greek nomos "law" (see numismatics). Related: Heteronomic; heteronomous.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper