Should anyone steer your choices?
Side one
Smart nudges help
Because people are predictably irrational, designing choices well, like good defaults, helps them make better decisions while staying free.
NudgeSide two
Liberty and skin in the game
Outsiders who don't bear the consequences shouldn't decide what's good for you. Freedom to choose, even badly, matters.
On Liberty · Skin in the GameCommon ground
Both value freedom of choice and distrust heavy-handed coercion.
How to reconcile them
Nudge only where the chooser would agree with the goal and can easily opt out, and where the designer shares the consequences. Transparent defaults are fine; hidden manipulation isn't.
When each side is right
Accept nudges for things you'd choose anyway but procrastinate on, like saving. Resist when the nudger benefits and you bear the risk.
Which side are you on?Vote in the app, see what others picked, and explore the debate with AI.
Open in the app