Comparative Table
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Cotometist Position
Cotometism begins from individual vulnerability: the freedom of Life Autonomy is valuable but fragile; protective Reciprocity is necessary for Life Autonomy to endure. Both are structurally inter-dependent, neither subordinate to the other.
Comparative Treatment of Life Autonomy & Reciprocity
This table identifies how major frameworks outside cotometism treat life autonomy and reciprocity, and whether they integrate the two into a unified framework.
| Framework | Core Focus | Treatment of Life Autonomy | Treatment of Reciprocity | Integration Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classical Liberalism (Locke, Mill) | Individual rights, non-interference | Strong emphasis on autonomy as freedom from coercion; framed as rights. | Reciprocity largely absent; assumes self-sufficiency if rights are respected. | Favors autonomy, neglects reciprocity. Produces liberty gaps where fragility and dependence persist. |
| Utilitarianism (Bentham, Mill) | Maximizing happiness/utility | Autonomy treated as one variable among many; often overridden by aggregate welfare. | Reciprocity implicit only if it maximizes utility; not intrinsic. | Sacrifices individual autonomy to collective utility when expedient. |
| Socialism & Communism | Collective ownership, equality | Autonomy often subordinated to collective goals; individual choice constrained. | Reciprocity enforced through obligation or redistribution, not voluntary. | Reciprocity dominates, autonomy weakens under coercive enforcement. |
| Communitarianism (MacIntyre, Sandel) | Shared traditions, social bonds | Autonomy secondary; individual defined through community roles. | Reciprocity embedded in communal duty, often non-voluntary. | Community sustains reciprocity, but autonomy is constrained by tradition. |
| Evolutionary & Anthropological Accounts (Mauss, Trivers) | Survival, cooperation | Autonomy acknowledged in practice, not theorized. | Reciprocity recognized as universal human practice. | Offers descriptive, not normative, integration. |
| Cotometism | Structural interdependence of autonomy & reciprocity | Autonomy valued but fragile; sustained only through reciprocity. | Reciprocity necessary to protect and sustain autonomy; coequal, not subordinate. | Mutual reinforcement: autonomy and reciprocity integrated as coequal principles. |
Diagnostic Summary
- No other framework unites life autonomy and reciprocity as coequal, mutually sustaining principles.
- Liberalism elevates autonomy but neglects reciprocity.
- Socialism & communitarianism impose reciprocity but erode autonomy.
- Utilitarianism collapses both into aggregate calculus.
- Anthropology & biology observe reciprocity but do not ground it normatively.