Individual Decision-Making Autonomy

The cluster centers on debates advocating for personal liberty and individual rights to make their own choices, opposing governments, societies, or experts from deciding what's best for people. Comments criticize paternalism and authoritarianism in favor of self-determination.

šŸ“‰ Falling 0.3x Politics & Society
2,695
Comments
20
Years Active
5
Top Authors
#3025
Topic ID

Activity Over Time

2007
2
2008
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2009
24
2010
27
2011
31
2012
53
2013
104
2014
67
2015
91
2016
121
2017
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2018
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2019
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2020
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2021
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2022
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2026
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Keywords

UK US USA FOSS decide decisions decision make decisions let people people decide people make make decision weigh council

Sample Comments

krapp • Feb 9, 2016 • View on HN

That's not really a decision we can make on behalf of the rest of society, is it?

vasco • May 17, 2024 • View on HN

Who are these public individuals that can decide? All choices are done by some person.

afavour • May 2, 2024 • View on HN

How about we could let people make that decision for themselves?

sfe22 • May 3, 2023 • View on HN

Why someone has to fix it for others. Can we let people decide for themselves?

mytailorisrich • Sep 20, 2025 • View on HN

This sounds like a value judgment or authoritarian edict. Luckily in a free society this is not for anyone to decide.

guerrilla • Oct 18, 2021 • View on HN

Counterpoint: Those effected by decisions should be making them and those not effected by decisions should not be making them.

electriclove • Jul 13, 2023 • View on HN

Wow, I’m sure glad you are not in charge of making decisions for how all of humanity should live their lives.

Turing_Machine • Mar 28, 2013 • View on HN

I do not recognize "the collective's" right to make this decision for me.

ChrisMarshallNY • Apr 10, 2023 • View on HN

Yeah...been hearing this stuff for 42 years. I could probably make an entirely convincing argument as to why you shouldn't try it. That's because I've heard it all.If you don't want what we have ... no worries. You won't get it.The problem is when we make decisions for other people. Things look very, very different, when it's our own butt on the line.

darawk • Aug 29, 2017 • View on HN

They don't. But they ought to have the right to decide what's good for them, even if they're wrong.