Can Nudges Be Democratic?: Paternalism vs Perfectionism

What does it mean to be human in an age of ever-expanding realms of nudging? What happens to the very idea of us as unique individuals as we become ever more funneled into directions set by seldom-seen, if not entirely unknown others? This essay will focus on the way in which the concept of nudging avoids entirely the dimension of morality. Morality has to do with how individuals find their way through the complexity of life. Nudging may set challenges for individuals precisely by making the background to their decisions more complex. But it cannot replace or fundamentally change what moral philosophy is, and in particular, the place and need of morality in democratic forms of life.

Cite this book chapter: Laugier, S. (2023). Can Nudges Be Democratic? Paternalism vs Perfectionism. In: Katz, J., Schiepers, K., Floyd, J. (eds) Nudging Choices Through Media. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-26568-6_4