Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D.

Here is Thomas Sowell's latest column. I don't think progressives are trying to play God. They're trying to play father. They're paternalistic. They believe that they know what's best for people, and are determined to impose it on them. Paternalism may be justifiable for children, who are not yet autonomous; but it's morally objectionable for adults. People have a right to make decisions for themselves, without interference by agents of the state. Sometimes they will decide well. Sometimes they will decide poorly. Some people who decide poorly learn how to make better decisions. Some never learn. If decisions are taken from people, they lose the capacity to learn from their mistakes.