‘Moral duty’ to allow family and friends to make big life choices, says Cambridge philosopher

Akhlaghi argues it is impossible to know if a friend will benefit from a transformative experience, such as new job, the birth of a child or a university course. Photograph: NicolasMcComber/Getty Images

Trying to stop friends and relations from making certain life choices such as whether to take a new job or start a family could “violate a crucial moral right”, according to a new paper by a Cambridge philosopher.

Dr Farbod Akhlaghi, a moral philosopher at Christ’s College, argues that everyone has a right to “self authorship”, so must make decisions about transformative experiences for themselves.