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• 1 2020-11-15T09:26:26-08:00 Biopolitics of World War II Hawai'i and COVID-19 America 14 By Jasmin Wang
  
  Proponents of paternalism generally assume that governmental actions to extend and optimize life are morally good. However, by delving into French philosopher Michel Foucault’s theory of biopolitics through the specific context of public health policies in World War II Hawai’i and drawing connections to COVID-19 America, it becomes clear that the optimization of life prioritizes the interests of the state. It is difficult to imagine a world in which we rebel against the optimization of life, but we must actively resist the way paternalism sacrifices the lives of the most vulnerable to ensure its own health. plain 2020-11-30T12:44:30-08:00 37.3326395, -122.0054873

  Jasmin Wang

  Abstract

  Proponents of paternalism generally assume that governmental actions to extend and optimize life are morally good. However, by delving into French philosopher Michel Foucault’s theory of biopolitics through the specific context of public health policies in World War II Hawai’i and drawing connections to COVID-19 America, it becomes clear that the optimization of life prioritizes the interests of the state. It is difficult to imagine a world in which we rebel against the optimization of life, but we must actively resist the way paternalism sacrifices the lives of the most vulnerable to ensure its own health.
  
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