Axes of Paternalism

Paternalistic actions interfere with the autonomy of an agent, so they can only be justified by strong moral considerations. Yet how seriously an action infringes on autonomy depends on how it affects autonomy. Autonomous actions require at least three independent elements: agents must act with an understanding of the risks of their actions, without the coercive influence of others and in accord with their most important values. Each of these elements exists along a spectrum, and by mapping measures in the resulting three-dimensional space, we get a better understanding of what is at stake in any debate about them, and we can understand when paternalistic measures might be justified and when they are not.