Pro-Paternalism
The central aim of this chapter is to set out the pro-paternalist view defended in the remainder of the book. According to pro-paternalism, it is always a valid reason in favor of intervening in someone’s affairs that doing so would advance some of her interests, and such intervention is justified when, all things considered, it would serve the target’s best interest without wronging anyone else. This view is contrasted with its anti-paternalist competitors. The contrast between these views suggests that the debate over paternalism is most fundamentally a debate about the weight and availability of a certain sort of rationale for intervention. Having clarified the terms of the debate over paternalism, the chapter concludes by distinguishing among several different types of intervention and briefly outlining the chapters to follow.