Autonomy - Definition and Overview

Autonomy is the condition of something that does not depend on anything else.

• In politics, a self-governing city or region, e.g. Kurdistan, Kosovo or Hong Kong SAR (not necessarily as a result of formal secession), is autonomous. True autonomy is usually a pre-requisite to separation or secession, however, but autonomy does not necessarily lead to separation. Autonomy is not independence.

• In Eastern Christianity, autonomy is the status of a hierarchical church whose head bishop is appointed by a higher-ranking bishop, often a patriarch, who has no other authority over the autonomous church. This status is one step short of autocephaly.

• In computing, a peripheral that can be used with the computer turned off (for example, a multifunction printer/copier/fax machine that can still copy and fax without the computer being turned on), is autonomous.

• A company and its computer software package, which performs pattern recognition with a Bayesian algorithm, used by e.g. governments and intelligence agencies; see Autonomy (software).

See also

• Science and technology
  • Multifunctional
  • Autonomous robot
  • Autonomous system (Internet)
  • Autonomous system (mathematics)
  • Autonomous building
• Territories and organizations
  • Autonomous communities of Spain
  • Autonomous region
  • Urban autonomy
  • Jewish Autonomous Republic
  • Autonomous Orthodox church