Harvard professor, frequent author and legal scholar Cass R. Sunstein addresses choice, the topic of some of his previous books, including Republic.com and Nudge. He focuses on the architecture of choosing by addressing often-neglected aspects of choice, like the power of âdefault choices.â His prose and reasoning are exceptionally lucid. Sunstein discusses academic studies, theoretical concepts, practical examples and real-world applications. The result, despite a few repeating loops, provides an essential overview for anyone interested in decision making, as well as public policy, clear thinking and how people think. getAbstract recommends Sunsteinâs rigor and imagination to those readers, and to leaders, marketers and social scientists.
Choice and Human Action
People like to choose. Part of what it means to be free is having the ability to choose for yourself. Yet, most people donât have the time or attention to make conscious choices about everything. And, gathering enough information to make good choices can be expensive. Consciously making every choice in your life can overwhelm you. Sometimes you prefer to âchoose not to choose.â
Some aspects of choice are âessentially timeless and universalâ; others are specific to the times. Choice often relates to freedom and financial security. Being rich in a free society means you donât have to think about some decisions, and you pay less for those you make. If youâre poor, you face more questions. That drains people and reduces their freedom.
âChoice Architectsâ
Your choices donât take place in a vacuum â most of them occur within a âsocial context.â Any organization that requires its people to make choices â a business, a school, a government â must decide whether to support âactive choosingâ or to establish âdefault rules.â The people who make these crucial decisions are choice architects. They use âchoice architectureâ to shape how, if, ...
Harvard professor Cass R. Sunstein â author of Going to Extremes, Simpler, Nudge and other books â ran the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs from 2009 to 2012.
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