While I will reject the notion that Ackerman's view invites paternalism, this is an important debate to engage with. Paternalism is __. We have discussed that paternalism is a concern in bioethics because it threatens autonomy, self-rule, which is both instrumentally and intrinsically valuable. Firstly, autonomy is instrumentally valuable as it facilitates the achievement of other goals, such as making decisions that most favour one's well-being. Second, it is intrinsically valuable because it is good for it's own sake. This is a difficult concept to expand on. But, we could consider that I feel it is better to make choices for myself than allow others to do so, not because I believe others would make worse choices, but simply because I believe it is better to do so myself (Valerius 2006) But not everyone is able to be autonomous; someone who lacks rational thought and self-control, like many children or some people with disabilities are not considered autonomous. However, other conditions pose similar concerns.
