I've posted a link to a video from 2010 in which Glenn Beck presents his (extremely unbiased) opinion on Cass Sunstein, the author of my book, Nudge. In the video, Beck calls Sunstein "the most dangerous man in America." As talk show hosts seem to "conveniently" gloss over many of the details, here are a few to remember in order to understand how Sunstein would respond:
1. Nudges, according to the principle of Libertarian Paternalism, are suppose to create choice architecture that provides low-cost opt-out rights in order to ensure that people maintain their freedom to choose. In other words, the right to choose not to be influenced by Nudges must always be maintained.
2. Nudges are best for influencing decisions that are difficult and rare, where people may be lacking the adequate experience or information to make the best choices. While Sunstein does acknowledge the Homer Simpson qualities of humans, he believes that people are very capable of making easy decisions that they have experience making, such as choosing which groceries to buy, while they may struggle with difficult decisions, such as selecting retirement plans or mortgages.
More to come on Wednesday.
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