Paternalism: Its Normative Issues and the Debate

Paternalism is a complicated issue which has both theoretical and normative implications. The debate on paternalism is basically about investigating the justificatory arguments. This paper analyzes certain moral conditions under which a paternalistic attitude or behavior is considered to be problematic. It undertakes the task of critically explaining and interpreting different philosophical stances and arguments with regard to these conditions proposed and developed by moral philosophers. In addition to these, the paper attempts to understand and appreciate debate with regard to practical issues of our daily life where the idea of paternalism is seen to be playing a crucial role. And the concept of paternalism is defined followed by discussing the normative issues along with the debate on paternalism.          

Keywords:

Paternalism , Autonomy , Well-Being , Deontology , Virtue Ethics