 Paternalistic lies, and other forms of deception such as truthful but misleading assertions, raise interesting conceptual as well as normative issues.  Unlike coercion which makes certain choices more costly, and hence restricts agents’ options, many lies make it more difficult for the agent to take certain options without increasing their cost. Further this difficulty is hidden from the person being lied to. This raises the issue of what exactly are the features of the person being lied to which are affected.  Is it her liberty, her freedom, her autonomy? Is it the voluntariness of her action? Is it none of these things but something like her ability to accomplish her aims? Thinking about these questions is important in evaluating whether, and when, paternalistic lies are justifiable.   