Paternalism is the interference of a state or an individual with another person, against their will. The practice of paternalism is usually justified on the grounds that the interference is necessary as the person or persons affected would be better off, or protected from harm as a result of the rule, policy, or action (Dworkin, 2002). The concept of paternalism invites a great deal of controversy and debate because although the stated intention is benevolent, paternalism assumes that the enforcer possesses a larger wisdom than the person being interfered with (Suber, 1999). Indeed, it is this premise that leads to parents running interference with their children or governments legislating on a wide range of issues such as abortion, euthanasia, same-sex marriages, substance abuse etc. While, no
Indeed, it is the latter consideration that brings into question the ethics of paternalism.
If paternalism is evaluated purely on a theoretical basis, the fact that it violates individual liberty is sufficient to argue that it is immoral. However, in practice, there are several instances where it is evident that paternalism is, in fact, necessary to protect the interests of a person or persons. For example, the fact that parents must necessarily run interference with their children in order to protect them from harm is pretty much unquestionable, since children are still developing cognitive skills in their formative years. Similarly, although citizens may grumble about being coerced into paying taxes or contributing to Social Security, the fact is that such economic policies are designed in the larger interests of social justice. Indeed, it can even be argued that both children and responsible, adult members of…
Thus the dependence of so many people on government handouts is very soon to reach a point of crisis and possible social unrest. Welfare Statism is not only a manifestly politically unjust system. It is also a wholly unsustainable one from the perspective of political economy. It is based upon expanding budgets and a continually young and growing population. In a society like America where the average age and life
Ethical-Legal Dillema in Advanced Nursing Practice Ethical-Legal Dilemma involving a Patient in Emergency Department (ED) The case study discussed in this paper presents ethical-legal principles in nursing which protects patient's privacy, confidentiality and security. Nurses have a professional obligation to protect the privacy of patients. Nursing Law and confidentiality define privacy as the right of patients to have their personal, identifiable medical information kept discrete and only accessible to the physician of
Premature Sexualisation Public hysteria or "sex panic" involving the "sexualisation" of children may be getting a decent outing in Australia at the present moment, but it is certainly nothing new: fifty years ago it was Elvis Presley's hips that portended imminent moral collapse, two hundred and fifty and a dance craze called the "waltz" was considered immodest and the "emo kids" of the late eighteenth century were committing suicide after
(Holocaust-history.org). Holocaust revisionism continues to be a major problem because of the ill-will between Arabs in Jews in the current Middle East. In fact, as recently as 2006, a major Arab power hosted a conference on the Holocaust. However, the purpose of the conference was not to address lingering effects of the Holocaust, like the pervasive anti-Semitism that plagues much of the world, but to provide support for the position
Zionism is even being identified with Christianity, with evangelicals uniting themselves to Israeli interests. Need we remind ourselves that Zionism is a politico-religious belief that is diametrically opposed to Christian values? The post-war propaganda that followed WWII even helped obliterate the notion of Jesus Christ as Holocaust and replace it with the Shoah, the Jewish holocaust. At the heart of Zionism is the eradication of Christian culture and the
4. Was it ethical for the tobacco industry to continue to market cigarettes, even after evidence emerged that smoking caused lung cancer and other illnesses? Purely from a rule utilitarian and personal rights perspective, it is difficult to justify so-called vice legislation, because governmental paternalism conflicts with individual freedoms of adults to make choices for themselves. From a more general functional utilitarianism perspective and general principles of justice in society, certain
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