Anti-Paternalism: Exceptions

Mill makes exceptions to his anti-paternalistic doctrine. (P 469b)

Paternalism is legitimate, Mill claims, in the case of:

  1. children (minors)
  2. people in backward societies (barbarians)

His reason for (1): "Those who are still in a state to require being taken care of by others, must be protected against their own actions as well as against external injury." (P 469b)

His reason for (2): "The early difficulties in the way of spontaneous progress are so great ..." (P 469b)


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Richard Lee, rlee@uark.edu, last modified: 10 February 2003