In the lunch time seminar Angus Dawson outlines two contrasting approaches to health promotion. The first is focused on the provision of information and the second is concerned with seeking to change people’s preferences. It has been argued that only the first approach is ethical, as it is for individuals to choose their own lifestyle and conception of the good life. Dawson argues against this ‘information’ approach to health promotion on two grounds. First, he suggests that given the aims of health promotion, the provision of information is of limited effectiveness in achieving these aims and it is only likely to worsen health inequities. Second, he argues that there are good reasons to question the appropriateness of respecting the preferences that individuals happen to have, given the origins and quality of such preferences. He argues, that by contrast there are good reasons to focus on changing peoples’ preference in health promotion. This involves a commitment to both paternalism and a certain conception of the good life, but both can be defended. Dawson uses the example of potential responses to the growing problem of obesity to illustrate his argument, arguing that only policy aimed at preference change will be both effective and ethical.

Angus DawsonAngus Dawson is Professor of Public Health Ethics and Director of the Centre for Biomedical Ethics, University of Birmingham, UK. He is a leading figure in the area of public health ethics. Together with Marcel Verweij he is the editor of the journal "Public Health Ethics".

Date: December 13th, 2011
Time: 14.00
Venue: IBME, Pestalozzistr. 24, 3rd floor

Food and drinks will be provided. If you wish to attend, please send an email to Verina Wild wild@ethik.uzh.ch. A paper by Angus Dawson will be circulated among the guests for preparatory reading.

Victoria Laszlo

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