MEANING
Controlling people’s choices on the grounds that doing so serves their own interests or wellbeing.
Use it for
analyzing restrictions justified as protecting people; distinguishing welfare-based control from punishment; evaluating a conflict between autonomy and proposed benefitsNames the restriction of another person’s choices for their supposed benefit, rather than simply naming authority or care. Academic functions: Theory / Conceptual Language.
Words that belong together
- state paternalism
- medical paternalism
- a critique of paternalism
On the page
The policy debate turns on whether mandatory participation is justified protection or excessive paternalism.
The chapter distinguishes paternalism from restrictions intended to prevent harm to other people.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- paternalism
Usage notes
Normally uncountable. Paternalisms is possible only when distinguishing forms or traditions. Register: formal. Commonness: moderately common (qualitative editorial estimate, informed by dictionaries/corpus).
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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