Date: Wed, 12 Apr 1995 21:28:18 -0400 (EDT) From: Justin Schwartz <jschwart-AT-freenet.columbus.oh.us> Subject: Re: interests -Reply On Wed, 12 Apr 1995, jwalker wrote: > > > Well, I think Lisa was right to be antsy about talk of what's in people's > interest, once that's separated from what people actually (happen to) > desire. Don't be silly. I want to smoke, which I do. But it's obviously not in my interest to smoke. It may be true that noting that something is in a person's > interest even though they don't think it is, isn't strictly speaking > sufficient to justify coercing that person to do that thing. But that's > the sort of consideration people invoke when they _do_ want to justify > paternalism. Sure, but that's an obvious mistake. > > What's more, interest-talk does seem to establish _some_ sort of case for > getting people to do things. For if something's in your interest, then > it'd be good for you to do, have, or be that thing. And if it'd be good, > then that sure _sounds_ like a reason, of some strength, to do it. > Well, it's a reason for you to do it. It's not on the face of it a reason for you to be made to do it whether you want to or not. > There may be countervailing reasons, of course. But they're not all that > easy to find and articulate. As you note, Justin, Mill's case against > paternalism is epistemological, and hence it's contingent and > rebuttable. I wonder if there's a better one. Well, all reasons are prima facie, contingemt and rebuttable. As a parent, I take a very paternalist attitude towards my kids. When I was a teacher I was moderately paternalist towards mny students, though less so than many of my colleagues. As a society many people support various paternalist policies, e.g., about drug use. Paternalism ought to be regarded with some suspicion. But it isn;t false by definition. As to other grounds for nonpaternalis, how about my suggestion that choice and the freedom to make mistakes is a fundamental human interest which should be overriden only with great caution? --Justin Schwartz --- from list marxism-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu --- ------------------
Display software: ArchTracker © Malgosia Askanas, 2000-2005