The series "Freedom and Law" is dedicated to an idea that underpins modern practical philosophy - the idea that the freedom of the subject and the binding nature of norms ("the law") do not stand in opposition to each other, but must be explained in relation to one another: a law is only binding insofar as we have given it to ourselves, so that in its effectiveness our freedom is simultaneously realized. This is the essence of the modern idea of autonomy. The series aims to critically examine this idea. It explores the tensions that arise within it, the assumptions upon which it rests, and the consequences of its political, legal, and social realization. The first volume of the series addresses the suspicion that the idea of autonomy is threatened by the paradox of ending up in arbitrariness or heteronomy, in baseless imposition or unfree self-determination.