So, you are saying that some people can be made better off by overriding their voluntary contracts with others. That is most definitely true in many cases.
The problem, I think, is that how do you judge which contracts are “fair” and which aren’t (and so should be overridden)? There will certainly be disagreement about which contracts are fair (and which contract participant should be given a better deal). Whoever is “the decider” is (if they are altruists) essentially comparing the utilities of different people to each other and redoing the contract so that utility can be maximized (between both people).
As far as I can tell, there is no difference between directly comparing the utilities of two different people (and choosing which should be made higher) and preference for one person or another of “the decider”. Is there really an objective rule that would tell us the answer or would it always (in practice) come down to however “the decider” decides to remake the contract (in preference of one party over the other)?
[Please forgive me if this post didn’t make any sense, it is late and I am very tired.]
So, you are saying that some people can be made better off by overriding their voluntary contracts with others. That is most definitely true in many cases.
The problem, I think, is that how do you judge which contracts are “fair” and which aren’t (and so should be overridden)? There will certainly be disagreement about which contracts are fair (and which contract participant should be given a better deal). Whoever is “the decider” is (if they are altruists) essentially comparing the utilities of different people to each other and redoing the contract so that utility can be maximized (between both people).
As far as I can tell, there is no difference between directly comparing the utilities of two different people (and choosing which should be made higher) and preference for one person or another of “the decider”. Is there really an objective rule that would tell us the answer or would it always (in practice) come down to however “the decider” decides to remake the contract (in preference of one party over the other)?
[Please forgive me if this post didn’t make any sense, it is late and I am very tired.]
This is the primary problem with paternalism, and a good reason why it should be limited.