[mulmen]

Living is unhealthy. It’s universally fatal. In a free society we (should) retain autonomy over our bodies. This isn’t purely philosophical, it is practical. Who decides what is healthy? What if they are wrong?

How many eggs should I eat today to meet your personal definition of healthy living? And what do I do when it differs from someone else?

[kelnos]

This is kinda an extremist straw man, though. I don't think anyone is claiming that the fields of nutrition and physical fitness are settled and that we know everything about what people need to do to be healthy.

But if you're obese and eat junk food all day, or if you just sit around on your couch and never get any exercise, and then end up with (for example) heart disease, that is something that was likely preventable, and we have a pretty good idea why and what could have been done differently. I'm force to subsidize these people's health care to some extent, and I think that's unfair.

The whole autonomy thing is tricky. We live in a society where we "care" for each other in collective ways (taxes etc.). People who want to live in that society lose some autonomy as a part of the bargain. I don't think this means we should legally force people not to eat or drink certain things. But I do think that (for example) denying people liver transplants when they won't stop drinking excess amounts of alcohol is fine. They can have their autonomy, but then they have to live with the consequences of their choices.

[mrmuagi]

> Living is unhealthy.

Tips fedora.

In all seriousness, I think there's obvious medical definitions for unhealthy in regards to addictions, weight, etc. Let's not philosophize some libertarian defense of something that obviously restricts and constricts one's freedom -- the ability to move an inch without your joints buckling.

I can sympathise with you if you have suffered from anti-fat bullying and adopt defensive attitudes in reaction -- but what the hell am I reading.