Paternalism

Paternalism is action that limits a person's or group's liberty or autonomy against their will and is intended to promote their own good. It has been defended in a variety of contexts as a means of protecting individuals from significant harm, supporting long-term autonomy, or promoting moral or psychological well-being. Such justifications are commonly found in public health policy, legal theory, medical ethics, and behavioral economics, where limited intervention is viewed as compatible with or even supportive of personal agency.^[1]

Some, such as John Stuart Mill, think paternalism can be appropriate towards children, saying:

"It is, perhaps, hardly necessary to say that this doctrine [i.e. that individual liberty should only be restricted to protect a person or to protect others] is meant to apply only to human beings in the maturity of their faculties. We are not speaking of children, or of young persons below the age which the law may fix as that of manhood or womanhood."^[2]

Paternalism towards adults is sometimes characterized as treating them as if they were children.^[3]

Some critics argue that such interventions can infringe upon autonomy and reflect insufficient respect for an individual’s capacity for self-determination.^[4] The terms 'paternalism,' 'paternalistic,' and 'paternalist' are sometimes used pejoratively, particularly in political or social discourse.^[1]