CHICAGO – There are many arguments against government paternalism: apart from limiting individual choice (for example, the choice to remain uninsured in the current health-care debate in the United States) and preventing individuals from learning, history suggests time and again that the conventional wisdom prevalent in society is wrong. And, since governments typically try to enforce the conventional wisdom, the consequences could be disastrous, because they are magnified by the state’s coordinating – and coercive – power.
芝加哥—反对家长式政府的理由很多：除了这样会限制个人选择（比如，在当前美国医保争论为尘埃落定时选择不参加医保）和让人怠于学习之外，历史一再表明，社会所流行的传统智慧是错的。此外，政府通常会强化传统智慧，因此可能造成灾难性后果，因为国家的协调力和强制力会放大负面效应。