Athena: Nudge

Augustine,

I just started a book tonight called Nudge (in the field of neuroeconomics, which is pretty cool sometimes). It's synthesizing a lot of the information and studies in books I've read in recent years in the social sciences that discuss the ways in which humans are not really as rational as we think we are, and don't really make the best choices. This book goes further in discussing "nudges" that can influence people--with discussion of practical applications in how those nudges could be used for good. It is a little bit like manipulation on some level, which feels uncomfortable, but in the end...I do feel like like the reality is that advertisers, corporations, and certain brands of politicians/analysts have figured this stuff out...so it's not really as though you could prevent these techniques from existing. At best, you could try and teach people to be cognizant of them and try to fight them with rational thinking...which is still a good thing to do...but again, people are not as rational as we'd like to think. So learning some of the "choice architecture" principles that this book talks about seems helpful.

I think would I love about this whole field is the way that it is incredibly interdisciplinary--it meshes together my more analytical and humanistic sides--and I feel like there's room to work that in even further. This particular book is more on the science-y side, but I'm also excited to continue thinking through the implications of it and read more and more.

I want to be humble still, as I do think that human beings are far more complex than we can ever truly and deeply understand...but it's still interesting to think about how these things apply...and maybe, maybe how they could work to incentivize positive behaviors.

I haven't finished the book yet, so I may not agree with all of the conclusions, and I still have to think things through more, but it's been an exciting read thus far.

+Athena