A word meaning a person who does something for the love of that thing without regard for recognition [closed]

Question

I remember reading this word a few months ago and didn't write it down to research it.

I believe it started "auto..."

The idea was that this person did what they wanted to do, purely for the love of doing that thing, without care or regard for whether it brought them recognition.

The idea is a positive one, rather than somebody doing something and not caring about the consequences. The thing they did seemed to have benefits for society, but that was not the primary reason for the person doing it.

Anyway, I hope I have explained it well enough.

Fingers crossed.

Answer 1

Possibly the OP is trying to remember autodidact. From Wikipedia

Autodidacticism (also autodidactism) or self-education (also self-learning and self-teaching) is the education without the guidance of masters (such as teachers and professors) or institutions. Generally, an autodidact is an individual who chooses the subject they will study, their studying material and the studying rhythm and time. An autodidact may or may not have formal education, and their study may be either a complement or an alternative to it. Many notable contributions have been made by autodidacts. Influential autodidacts include Leonardo da Vinci, Goethe, Charles Darwin, Thomas Edison, Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino and Srinivasa Ramanujan. (Emphasis added).

Answer 2

The "auto" doesn't ring any bells, but aficionado is kind of similar to your description: A person who is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about an activity, subject, or pastime. It's from the Spanish for amateur, which is a person who engages in a study, sport, or other activity for pleasure rather than for financial benefit or professional reasons.

Answer 3

'Hedonist' does not start with auto-, but seems close to the motivation sought. An example found at Dictionary.com is:

But to be a hedonist implies a certain process of reasoning, a deliberate choice of known pleasures, a rejection of known pains.

—Aldous Huxley, Mortal Coils 

However, digging a little more, perhaps 'autoism' or 'autoist' is the word you originally came across?

I found at this reference to the use of the word autoism in a book by Aya Katz, Our Lady of Kaifeng:

In Our Lady of Kaifeng, Father Horvath has this idea of autoism rather than altruism. Now, of course, the term autism had not yet been coined or was in the process of being coined, and he wasn't aware of it, so he called it autoism, because he simply etymologically deduced that the opposite of an altruist would be an autoist. And he tells Marah that she's a saint because she's an autoist -- because she listens to her inner voice rather than to the voice of society. And that's where sainthood comes into play.

'Aut-' is a combining form, the meaning of which is 'self', as defined by Merriam-Webster Online as follows:

aut- 1:  self :  same one {autism}{autobiography} 2:  automatic :  self-acting {autopilot}

Answer 4

You might be looking for the word autonomous:

1. Not controlled by others or by outside forces; independent: an autonomous judiciary; an autonomous division of a corporate conglomerate.
2. Independent in mind or judgment; self-directed.