POLS 351 Chapter Notes - Chapter week 2: Paternalism, Fornication, English Criminal Law
10 Oct 2016
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Paper about the relation between two ideas, autonomy and toleration. Both are deeply rooted in liberal culture. My purpose is to show that a powerful argument in favour of toleration is derivable from the value of personal autonomy. The main interest is in what it does not establish, in the limits of the autonomy-based principle of toleration. First, it is sometimes assumed that respect for autonomy requires governments to avoid pursuing any conception of the good life. In other words, the ideal of autonomy is used to support a principle of toleration reflecting anti-perfectionism, the exclusion of ideals from politics. I shall argue that no such conclusion follows from a concern for personal autonomy. Another well known liberal argument for toleration is based on the harm principle first formulated by j. s. The principle asserts that the only purpose for which the law may use its coercive power is to prevent harm.
