Nudges in a post-truth world

Journal of Medical Ethics
Neil Levy

Abstract

Nudges-policy proposals informed by work in behavioural economics and psychology that are designed to lead to better decision-making or better behaviour-are controversial. Critics allege that they bypass our deliberative capacities, thereby undermining autonomy and responsible agency. In this paper, I identify a kind of nudge I call a nudge to reason, which make us more responsive to genuine evidence. I argue that at least some nudges to reason do not bypass our deliberative capacities. Instead, use of these nudges should be seen as appeals to mechanisms partially constitutive of these capacities, and therefore as benign (so far as autonomy and responsible agency are concerned). I sketch some concrete proposals for nudges to reason which are especially important given the apparent widespread resistance to evidence seen in recent political events.

References

Nov 15, 2007·Journal of Experimental Psychology. General·Adam L AlterRebecca N Eyre
Jul 30, 2011·Cognitive Psychology·Valerie A ThompsonGordon Pennycook
Feb 22, 2013·Journal of Medical Ethics·Yashar Saghai
Mar 5, 2013·Journal of Medical Ethics·Richard E Ashcroft
Mar 5, 2014·Pediatrics·Brendan NyhanGary L Freed
Oct 18, 2016·The American Journal of Bioethics : AJOB·Douglas MacKay, Alexandra Robinson

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Citations

Nov 18, 2017·Journal of Medical Ethics·Geoff Keeling
Nov 21, 2017·Journal of Medical Ethics·Neil Levy
Mar 8, 2020·Medicine, Health Care, and Philosophy·Michal Stanak
Sep 25, 2017·British Dental Journal
Jan 1, 2018·Minds and Machines·Christopher BurrJames Ladyman
Jan 15, 2020·Science and Engineering Ethics·Christopher BurrLuciano Floridi
Jun 1, 2021·Journal of Business Ethics : JBE·Erik Hermann
Dec 18, 2021·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Marten SchefferJohan Bollen
Apr 30, 2019··Aditya Kumar PurohitAdrian Holzer

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