Who Decides for You, and Why — and When It Is Justified
A research itinerary through paternalism: from the philosophy of Kant and Mill to sugar taxes, dark patterns, and mathematical models of soft intervention.
A route through the topic
All sections →Introduction to Paternalism
Basic concepts, classifications, choice architecture, and the conflict between autonomy and care.
JournalWhat's New
New sections, texts, media, and primary-source blocks on the platform.
CorePhilosophical Foundations
Kant, Mill, Dworkin, Feinberg, and the dispute over intervening for a person’s good.
PracticeContemporary Cases
Positive, negative, and ambiguous examples of paternalistic policy in the 21st century.
DebateThe Critique of Paternalism
The ineffectiveness of some nudges, the erosion of trust, and the problem of moral justification.
The InternetPaternalism in the Digital World
Ethical boosts and nudges, dark patterns, privacy design, and algorithmic influence.
A Unique SectionPaternalism and Mathematics
Optimal intervention, game theory, mechanism design, and Bayesian persuasion.
VideoVideo and Lectures
Lectures, talks, and courses with an open video player linked to external sources.
Latest materials
- Introduction · AnalysisWhat Paternalism Is: Definitions and BoundariesA basic map of the subject: what counts as paternalism, how it differs from simply harming others, and why the line runs along a person's will rather than the reasonableness of their choice.9 мин
- Introduction · EssayChoice Architecture: How the Setting Decides for UsPeople almost never choose in a vacuum: the ordering of options, defaults, and wording create an environment that steers a decision before we are even aware of it.10 мин
- Introduction · EssayLibertarian Paternalism: Freedom Plus NudgingAn idea that sounds like a contradiction in terms: influencing choice while preserving the right to opt out, and why critics see in it a hidden engineering of decisions.10 мин
- Cases · PositivePension Auto-Enrolment in the UK: How the 'Default Option' Brought Back Millions of SaversSwitching the default from 'opt in' to 'opt out' raised private-sector employee participation from a third to nearly nine-tenths in a single decade.9 мин
- Cases · FailedBloomberg's 'Soda Ban': How the Court Struck Down the Limit on Large Sugary DrinksNew York City's attempt to cap sugary drink servings at 16 ounces was overturned by the state's highest court as an overreach of authority — an outright ban lost where choice architecture would have won.8 мин
Mathematics
Optimal intervention, game theory, mechanism design, and Bayesian persuasion — a language of measurement instead of moralizing.
Whole section →Key claims of the project
What exactly makes paternalism central to policy, design, and everyday life.
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Materials
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Roles for researchers, readers, and authors with access rights.
Collaboration
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