Is Anti-Paternalism Enough?
| Date | 01 August 2018 |
| Published date | 01 August 2018 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0032321717734515 |
| Author | Viki M L Pedersen,Soren Flinch Midtgaard |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
https://doi.org/10.1177/0032321717734515
Political Studies
2018, Vol. 66(3) 771 –785
© The Author(s) 2017
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DOI: 10.1177/0032321717734515
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Is Anti-Paternalism Enough?
Viki M L Pedersen
and Soren Flinch Midtgaard
Abstract
The article addresses the question of how sufficiency for the imprudent may be ensured. Imprudent
conduct includes both spectacular acts such as jumping from heights into water, and everyday acts
and omissions such as neglecting to fasten one’s seat-belt. We argue that to avoid thoroughly bad
or insufficient situations, one must pay attention to an important and often neglected concern of
avoiding insouciance. The latter tells us not to stand idly by when people are about to act in ways
that may irrevocably land them in insufficient situations. The policies and actions needed to avoid
insouciance are most plausibly justified on paternalistic grounds; in fact, they cannot be justified
nonpaternalistically. Although controversial, we argue that paternalistic interventions are often
justifiable in the service of preserving sufficiency.
Keywords
sufficiency, insouciance, paternalism, harshness
Accepted: 11 September 2017
Introduction
Sometimes we act imprudently. For example, we smoke, we jump from heights into
water, or we use sunbeds (Andersen and Midtgaard, 2016; Grill and Voigt, 2016; Snelling,
2014). Although such acts are typically readily avoidable to us, it is still regrettable if the
risk involved materializes, leaving us in a thoroughly bad or insufficient situation. A
decent society is in part characterized by having institutions and policies in place that
cater to sufficiency. But how can sufficiency for the imprudent be secured? There is wide
agreement that sufficiency in some sense should be ensured even for the imprudent.1 Yet
scrutinizing the “how” question, we will argue, gives rise to interesting and somewhat
surprising conclusions. We argue specifically that elementary aspects of sufficiency can
only be ensured by the adoption of paternalistic measures. When thinking about concerns
of sufficiency, people have tended to be preoccupied with the importance of avoiding
harshness. This involves being prepared to offer assistance to people when they stand in
Department of Political Science, Aarhus Universitet, Aarhus, Denmark
Corresponding author:
Viki M L Pedersen, Department of Political Science, Aarhus BSS, Aarhus Universitet, Bartholins Allé 7,
DK - 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
Email: vikip@ps.au.dk
734515PSX0010.1177/0032321717734515Political StudiesPedersen and Midtgaard
research-article2017
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