Government Paternalism vs. Individual Rights: A Philosophical Analysis

Introduction: Government Authority and the Public Good

"The government has a perfect right to influence behavior to the best of its ability if it is for the welfare of the individual and the community as a whole."

This quote, by former Surgeon General of the United States C. Everett Koop, epitomizes the view that government is in place to act as a type of benevolent watchdog for society. The essence of the quote was made from a public health standpoint, but it is both paternalistic and arrogant in that it asserts the government has the authority and expertise to judge what is good and bad for the populace. In the context of his speech, Koop was referring to the government's efforts to discourage smoking, mandate childhood vaccinations, and limit risky behavior. This, of course, is positive — the government has a mandate to do the best for its citizens, and if smoking, unprotected sex, and lack of vaccination contribute to poor public health outcomes, what could be wrong with that point of view? (Bayer).

Federalism and the Limits of Governmental Power

However, the opposing side argues that the American tradition of limited government goes back to the Founding Fathers and the debates about federalism, equal rights, and the limits of governmental power over its citizens. The potential for misuse of governmental power in some situations may actually outweigh the benefits that a paternalistic system could offer. Since the Age of Enlightenment, this has been a central debate for political philosophers: what are the basic rights and responsibilities of the individual toward the government, and in turn, what is the government's responsibility to its citizenry?

The concept of federalism holds that groups are bound together for mutual good under a representative governing authority. In the United States, the federal political unit holds certain exclusive powers, and the 50 states hold certain powers within their own jurisdictions. When examining government structure, the concepts of fiscal federalism are both horizontal and vertical in nature. Horizontally — that is, across governmental platforms — fiscal issues focus on regional imbalances and competition. Vertically, fiscal relations refer to the relationship between the federal and state governments and who controls the disposition of funds. It is, in fact, this imbalance that defines much of the debate about fiscal federalism's role in the efficient use of funds for needed projects (Sharma). Furthermore, this basic idea of federalism not only has ramifications for the balance between federal and state power, but also tends to allow more authority to the federal government — not just in implementing Congressional acts, but in making decisions "for the good of the people."

Enlightenment Liberalism and Social Justice

During the 16th and 17th centuries, one of the primary social arguments centered on the rights of the individual. One of the basic tenets of that era was the ideal of liberalism — a political philosophy grounded in the principle of egalitarianism, encompassing liberty, individual and social freedoms, and equality. This view became a distinct political and social philosophy during the Age of Enlightenment, arising from the philosophical rejection of institutions centered on hereditary privilege, state religion, the Divine Right of Kings, and absolute monarchy (Gay). Liberalism is also tied to social justice, forming the locus of liberalism as an emancipatory philosophy. The Enlightenment's changes in urbanization and technology provided access to other cultures and deepened the study of what it means to be human.

John Locke, known as the Father of Liberalism, centered his philosophy on social justice and emancipation. He noted: "The natural liberty of man is to be free from any superior power on earth, and not to be under the will or legislative authority of man, but to have only the law of nature for his rule" (Uzgalis).

Social justice may thus be thought of as a synonym for the emancipatory ideals that arose from the Enlightenment. In its most basic form, social justice is the fairness and just law or custom exhibited within a given society. It should be applied universally to all members of that society and is defined not only by a rule of law, but by the people advocating for and practicing egalitarianism. Social justice means that society recognizes the value of human rights and the dignity of every human being, and that law is based not on privilege, class, or economic status, but on the principle of equality. Several international documents affirm that social justice must be universal and must educate citizens on the system of global human rights (Barry). This view is part of a centuries-old tradition originating with Aristotle and Plato, in which virtue and justice for the individual not only produce happiness and self-actualization, but also betterment for society. The basic assumption for Aristotle is that humans are moral agents who, through their individual actions, instinctively understand what is right and wrong, what is best for themselves, and by extension, what is best for society.