A central conclusion developed and defended throughout the book is that epistemic autonomy is necessary for knowledge (both knowledge-that and knowledge-how) and in ways that epistemologists have not yet fully appreciated. The book is divided into five chapters. Chapter 1 motivates (using a series of twists on Lehrer's TrueTemp case) the claim that propositional knowledge requires autonomous belief. Chapters 2 and 3 flesh out this proposal in two ways, by defending a specific form of history-sensitive externalism with respect to propositional knowledge-apt autonomous belief (Chapter 2) and by showing how the idea that knowledge requires autonomous belief—understood along the externalist lines proposed—corresponds with an entirely new class of knowledge defeaters (Chapter 3). Chapter 4 extends the proposal to (both intellectualist and anti-intellectualist) knowledge-how and performance enhancement, and in a way that combines insights from virtue epistemology with research on freedom, responsibility, and manipulation. Chapter 5 concludes with a new twist on the Value of Knowledge debate, by vindicating the value of epistemically autonomous knowledge over that which falls short, including (mere) heteronomous but otherwise epistemically impeccable justified true belief.

"The search for a plausible, comprehensive account of the necessary and sufficient conditions for knowledge gets a boost from Carter's Autonomous Knowledge...Carter skillfully blends the example-rich epistemology of the 1970s and 1980s with the vision of a future increasingly described by transhumanists. Carter's arguments are detailed, well-researched, and sensitive to nuance,...those interested in the theory of knowledge should embrace this book as an example of how to continue the research program on knowledge in an era of burgeoning scientific possibilities for human cognitive enhancement." - Choice