Thomas Nys

Judging Nudging: Answering the Manipulation Objection

Is it ever justified to ‘nudge’ people towards their own health? In this article, we argue that it is. We do so by arguing (1) that nudges are not necessarily – as is commonly thought – manipulative; (2) that even those nudges that are manipulative can be justified, for instance, when they preserve rather than violate people’s autonomy; and (3) that even if nudges can be said to violate some people’s autonomy, they can still be the legitimate outcome of genuinely democratic procedures. While we do not regard nudging as the solution to all or even most public health problems, we argue for a piecemeal approach that carefully considers its benefits and downsides in light of the various values involved and the alternatives at hand.

The Wreckage of Our Flesh: Dementia, Autonomy and Personhood

Could the principle of respect for autonomy – a principle that is considered so essential nowadays – still be relevant in guiding our conduct with regard to people who suffer from severe dementia? This seems particularly questionable because, as a severely disruptive and debilitating disease, dementia erodes the necessary level of competence that is required for people to ground respect for their decisions, that is, they lack the capacity for autonomy as a necessary condition in order to enjoy the right to autonomy.