ABSTRACT
Are there any deep or systematic connections between paternalism and people’s rights? While it is easy to think of instances of paternalism that violate the paternalized subject’s rights (e.g., stealing my car keys for my own good), it appears equally easy to think of cases of paternalism that involve no rights violation (hiding your car keys for my own good). This seems to suggest that the answer to the opening question is “no.” The main goal in this chapter is to argue that, in fact, the answer to the opening question may well be “yes.” More specifically, this chapter argues that it is more plausible than it might first appear that a certain normative connection obtains between paternalism and rights violations: paternalism is morally problematic because it violates people’s rights.
