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paternalism
Paternalism is
a summary term for ethical stance that a person’s autonomy
is justifiably restricted to prevent self-harm, or to promote
that person’s own well-being. It is grounded in the principle
of beneficence.
As a "liberty-limiting"
approach, paternalism is usually grounded in a theory of impairment:
namely, that an individual lacks sufficient facts or mental
capacity to make a sound choice. It is sometimes defended
by a theory of future consent:
viz., that the person whose liberty is circumscribed will
(or, at least in principle, could) eventually agree that the
restriction was desirable, given better facts or improved
cognitive capacity in future.
Rationales for
the limitation of individual human liberties generally divide
into those relating to the individual whose liberty is circumscribed
(like paternalism) versus those that relate to others, such
as:
- the harm principle
- to prevent harm to others;
- the offense
principle - to prevent offense to others;
- legal moralism
- to prevent immoral acts (which acts can be viewed as harming
either the individual, society or both).
See also:
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