Is Paternalism Justified By Consent Or By Benefit?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Paternalistic decision making

can be justified in emergency situations

where there is no time to consult the patient and it can sometimes be justified in a public health context, but it is rarely, if ever justified in nonemergency interactions with individual patients.

Is paternalism good or bad?

According to the dominant view,

paternalism is wrong when it interferes with a person’s autonomy

. For example, suppose that I throw away your cream cakes because I believe that eating them is bad for your health. This paternalistic action is wrong when it interferes with your autonomous decision to eat cream cakes.

Is hard paternalism justified?

8 Paternalism in the poisoning example is “soft” because it does not violate this principle. … 9 Hence, commonsense morality holds that

hard paternalism is sometimes justified

.

What is the principle of paternalism?

Paternalism is

the interference with the liberty or autonomy of another person

, with the intent of promoting good or preventing harm to that person. Examples of paternalism in everyday life are laws which require seat belts, wearing helmets while riding a motorcycle, and banning certain drugs.

Is paternalism ever justified?

Most people would agree that paternalism is

justified

when dealing with a person whose freedom of choice is seriously impaired or limited, be it due to coercion, a person’s limited cognitive capacities, ignorance of the facts, the effects of a disease such as Alzheimer’s, or the influence of drugs.

When should paternalism be used?

Paternalism—choosing a course of action in the patient’s best interest but without the patient’s consent—serves

as an integral value in ethical decision making

, both as a balance to other values and as an ethical obligation to neither withhold guidance nor abdicate professional responsibility to patients [12, 16, 17].

What are the different types of paternalism?

In establishing the basic theoretical framework of paternalism based on the conditions and justifications for restricting freedom and autonomy, Dworkin differentiated among various types of paternalism as

hard or soft, broad or narrow, weak or strong, pure or impure, and moral or welfare

.

What is the problem of paternalism?

The issue of paternalism arises with

respect to restrictions by the law

such as anti-drug legislation, the compulsory wearing of seatbelts, and in medical contexts by the withholding of relevant information concerning a patient’s condition by physicians.

What is an example of weak paternalism?

“Weak paternalism” (overriding the autonomy of someone who is NOT really autonomous) is much less controversial; for instance,

detaining or treating severely psychotic, mentally retarded, or extremely addicted individuals

.

Who is an example of a paternalistic leader?

Paternalistic executive leaders

may view employees as important stakeholders

. As such, they may prioritize employee needs over the interests of investors. For example, a firm that offers employment for life and goes to great lengths to avoid layoffs when a business unit is unprofitable.

What is the opposite of paternalism?

Opposite of having a caring or kindly nature.

selfish

.

uncaring

.

thoughtless

.

inconsiderate

.

What is paternalism in medical ethics?

In a healthcare context “paternalism” occurs

when a physician or other healthcare professional makes decisions for a patient without the explicit consent of the patient

. The physician believes the decisions are in the patient’s best interests.

What is anti paternalism?

Anti-paternalism is the

position that certain reasons

– referring one way or the other to the good of a person, give no valid normative support to certain actions – some kind of interferences with the same person.

What Utilitarianism means?

Utilitarianism is

a theory of morality that advocates actions that foster happiness or pleasure and oppose actions that cause unhappiness or harm

. When directed toward making social, economic, or political decisions, a utilitarian philosophy would aim for the betterment of society as a whole.

What is benevolence principle?

1. The Concepts of Beneficence and Benevolence. … The language of a principle or rule of beneficence refers to

a normative statement of a moral obligation to act for the others’ benefit, helping them to further their important and legitimate interests

, often by preventing or removing possible harms.

Is paternalism an ideology?

Therefore, paternalism was

an ideology that justified the better treatment of one people over another

, although both peoples were “black.”

Amira Khan
Author
Amira Khan
Amira Khan is a philosopher and scholar of religion with a Ph.D. in philosophy and theology. Amira's expertise includes the history of philosophy and religion, ethics, and the philosophy of science. She is passionate about helping readers navigate complex philosophical and religious concepts in a clear and accessible way.