Sunstein and Thaler's Limited Paternalism

In “Libertarian Paternalism is not an Oxymoron”, Cass Sunstein and Richard Thaler employ recent research in behavioral economics to suggest a way in which a government planner could both enact paternalistic policies and respect freedom of choice. I will assess their suggestion in light of two of the most common anti-paternalist arguments. John Stuart Mill and Joel Feinberg exemplify these anti-paternalist positions. Section 1 of this paper introduces the anti-paternalist arguments made by Mill and Feinberg. Section 2 outlines Sunstein and Thaler’s suggestion and the empirical research it is based on. Sections 3 and 4 assess their suggestion in light of arguments introduced in section 1. In section 3, some of the points raised by Mark White in his book The Manipulation of Choice: Ethics and Libertarian Paternalism, which was written in response to Sunstein and Thaler, are considered. I side with Sunstein and Thaler against White.Bachelor of Art