PHI 2396 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Paternalism, Bioethics, Chemotherapy
14 Dec 2017
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Document Summary
Autonomy is defined as a person"s rational capacity for self-governance or self-determination. It is a person"s power to look at the available options and choose freely among the given options. We exercise our autonomy daily when our actions are our own. Autonomy is a very important aspect of bioethics and hence there is the autonomy principle. In medicine to respect a person"s autonomy, the doctrine of informed consent was developed. Autonomy can be limited physically as well as psychologically. Physically restraining a patient violates his/her autonomy, psychologically misinforming or keeping details of illnesses from patients also violates their autonomy. Although there are places when the autonomy of a person is to be violated for their own good this is called paternalism. Paternalism is defined as the overriding of a person"s actions or decision-making for his own good. It has two kinds, weak and strong paternalism.
