Sunstein Interviewed by "The Glenn and Helen Show"

On Monday, Cass Sunstein appeared on the podcast "The Glenn and Helen Show," discussing libertarian paternalism with host Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit.com. You can listen to the podcast here.

Comments

[Stillonmt]

Glenn is just creepy. It is better not to appear on interviews with them.

[Joan A. Conway, Pro Se Litigant In Forma Pauperis]

The windows of Macy celebrated the movie, "The Chronicles of Narnia, the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" a few years back.

In front of one display featured the Wardrobe.

Moving within range of seeing it, I was noticed by another woman and little girl with a private intention targeted at me in order to associate the title of the movie to their suggestive expectations for the little girl's Christmas, starting at the Macy's display for some of my change.

I felt the nudge to open my purse.

"My little girl wants (you)to give her something to fit into her hand for a Wardrobe," was the subtext facing me in order to see the display.

Because of their ability to lift the title of the book at the Macy's display window, and use it in an arbitrary way, and act in an aggressive and negative manner, it seemed unavoidable in a class status society to fend off.

Not too many people understand the difference between "an twitch and itch from a blow hammer anyway."

[Joan A. Conway]

The concept of creating a compelling motivation to change one's way is right up Bill O'Reilly's alley.

[Uzair Kayani]

I don't think Professor Sunstein is advocating compelling motivations, or compulsion in general, which would be raw paternalism. Rather, the theme is that ordering in real life situations is inevitable (you can't put everything in the same spot on a menu), so we might want a theory of ordering rather than randomness. Put differently, if we recognize that most things have to be put in some sort of order (like it or not), then the ordering ought to be principled and reasoned.

I suppose it's possible (and appealing to some) to randomize all choice menus. This would force people to choose more carefully. But it's not the world we live, or necessarily want to live in- because that would look like anarchy.

[Joan A. Conway]

When libertarian pateralism is doing the nudging, you could read it to be liberty for father to push you!

Noun 1. nudge - a slight push or shake
jog
push, pushing - the act of applying force in order to move something away; "he gave the door a hard push"; "the pushing is good exercise"
Verb 1. nudge - to push against gently; "She nudged my elbow when she saw her friend enter the restaurant"
poke at, prod
jog - give a slight push to
elbow - shove one's elbow into another person's ribs
push, force - move with force, "He pushed the table into a corner"
2. nudge - push into action by pestering or annoying gently
push, bear on - press, drive, or impel (someone) to action or completion of an action; "He pushed her to finish her doctorate"