I think it’s totally nuts that people assert that nudges are, or even can be, per se unethical.
A nudge is an imposition of cost on the non-nudged action. I think it’s pretty easy to argue that intentional imposition of cost/difficulty is unethical by default. Specific nudges can still be positive, if there is evidence that they provide more moral value in the prevention of error than in the friction they bring.
I agree it’s a nuanced issue to think about, but a nudge isn’t just the imposition of a cost. It’s removing a cost for the nudged action. In the abstract, there’s no reason it should be easier to make A easier than B or vice versa.
So to argue that this is problematic, you’d have to show why based on the specifics of each case.
A nudge is an imposition of cost on the non-nudged action. I think it’s pretty easy to argue that intentional imposition of cost/difficulty is unethical by default. Specific nudges can still be positive, if there is evidence that they provide more moral value in the prevention of error than in the friction they bring.
I agree it’s a nuanced issue to think about, but a nudge isn’t just the imposition of a cost. It’s removing a cost for the nudged action. In the abstract, there’s no reason it should be easier to make A easier than B or vice versa.
So to argue that this is problematic, you’d have to show why based on the specifics of each case.