In Our Best Interest

A Defense of Paternalism

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Political, Ethics & Moral Philosophy
Cover of the book In Our Best Interest by Jason Hanna, Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Jason Hanna ISBN: 9780190877156
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: September 21, 2018
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: Jason Hanna
ISBN: 9780190877156
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: September 21, 2018
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

When, if ever, is it permissible to intervene in a person's affairs for his or her own good? This, in essence, is the moral problem of paternalism. Many consider paternalism morally objectionable. In this book, Jason Hannaargues boldly for an alternative pro-paternalist view: that intervention is permissible so long as it serves the best interest of the person subject to it, without thereby wronging others. To Hanna, the moral debate over paternalism is most fundamentally a debate about the weight and relevance of a certain kind of reason or rationale for intervention. In arguing that paternalistic rationales provide valid and weighty reasons, Hanna considers the objections that paternalism is disrespectful, that it wrongly imposes values on people, that it violates individual rights, and that it is likely to be misapplied or abused. He argues that each of these objections fails to demonstrate that there is anything distinctively problematic about paternalism. Moreover, he attempts to situate pro-paternalism within a popular rights-based moral theory. Hanna shows that popular alternatives to pro-paternalism confront serious problems of their own, especially insofar as they attempt to distinguish permissible intervention on behalf of incompetent persons from impermissible intervention on behalf of competent adults. Although the book's central aim is to defend a moral view, it suggests how this view can be fruitfully applied in a number of real-world contexts.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

When, if ever, is it permissible to intervene in a person's affairs for his or her own good? This, in essence, is the moral problem of paternalism. Many consider paternalism morally objectionable. In this book, Jason Hannaargues boldly for an alternative pro-paternalist view: that intervention is permissible so long as it serves the best interest of the person subject to it, without thereby wronging others. To Hanna, the moral debate over paternalism is most fundamentally a debate about the weight and relevance of a certain kind of reason or rationale for intervention. In arguing that paternalistic rationales provide valid and weighty reasons, Hanna considers the objections that paternalism is disrespectful, that it wrongly imposes values on people, that it violates individual rights, and that it is likely to be misapplied or abused. He argues that each of these objections fails to demonstrate that there is anything distinctively problematic about paternalism. Moreover, he attempts to situate pro-paternalism within a popular rights-based moral theory. Hanna shows that popular alternatives to pro-paternalism confront serious problems of their own, especially insofar as they attempt to distinguish permissible intervention on behalf of incompetent persons from impermissible intervention on behalf of competent adults. Although the book's central aim is to defend a moral view, it suggests how this view can be fruitfully applied in a number of real-world contexts.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book Kafka's The Trial by Jason Hanna
Cover of the book Landon Carter's Uneasy Kingdom by Jason Hanna
Cover of the book Avant-Doc by Jason Hanna
Cover of the book Melanoma by Jason Hanna
Cover of the book Slapped by the Invisible Hand : The Panic of 2007 by Jason Hanna
Cover of the book Arnold J. Toynbee:A Life by Jason Hanna
Cover of the book War From the Ground Up: Twenty-First Century Combat as Politics by Jason Hanna
Cover of the book The Conquistadors: A Very Short Introduction by Jason Hanna
Cover of the book Mayo Clinic Internal Medicine Board Review Questions and Answers by Jason Hanna
Cover of the book Antiepileptic Drugs by Jason Hanna
Cover of the book Goodman's Neurosurgery Oral Board Review by Jason Hanna
Cover of the book London is the Place for Me by Jason Hanna
Cover of the book Risk and Hyperconnectivity by Jason Hanna
Cover of the book The Woman in White - With Audio Level 6 Oxford Bookworms Library by Jason Hanna
Cover of the book The Human Animal by Jason Hanna
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy