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Difficulty: MediumViewpoint Attribution

Behavioral economists champion "libertarian paternalism"—the use of "nudges" in public policy—as an elegant compromise between state intervention and individual liberty. By altering choice architecture (for instance, making retirement savings enrollment the default rather than an opt-in), policymakers steer citizens toward welfare-enhancing behaviors without eliminating any options. Proponents argue that because individuals remain free to opt out at a nominal cost, autonomy is preserved.

However, autonomy theorists contend that nudging is fundamentally manipulative. They assert that nudges operate by exploiting cognitive biases, thereby bypassing rational deliberation. According to these critics, true autonomy requires not just the presence of alternatives, but the active, conscious evaluation of those alternatives. Even if a citizen can technically opt out, steering them via their subconscious psychological tendencies subverts their agency.

While this critique accurately identifies the psychological mechanisms of nudging, it ultimately relies on an idealized premise. The objection assumes a baseline wherein individuals routinely engage in rigorous rational deliberation when making everyday choices. In reality, most decisions are already heavily influenced by arbitrary environmental factors. If the alternative to a deliberate policy nudge is not rational evaluation, but merely a haphazard set of subconscious cues, then the autonomy theorists' fears are significantly overstated.

According to the passage, which of the following statements most accurately reflects the stance of the autonomy theorists regarding policy nudges?

  1. They subvert human agency by circumventing active decision-making in favor of psychological exploitation.Answer
  2. B
    They are evaluated using a flawed baseline that overestimates how often individuals engage in rational deliberation.
  3. C
    They provide an elegant compromise between state intervention and individual liberty by maintaining nominal opt-out costs.
  4. D
    They completely eliminate an individual's ability to make alternative choices by heavily restricting the available options.
  5. E
    They should be entirely replaced by traditional, transparent regulations that do not attempt to alter choice architecture.

Answer

The statement that nudges subvert human agency by circumventing active decision-making in favor of psychological exploitation.
The correct answer synthesizes the explicit statements from the second paragraph, where autonomy theorists are described as arguing that nudging is 'manipulative,' that it 'operates by exploiting cognitive biases, thereby bypassing rational deliberation,' and that it 'subverts their agency.'

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Locate the specific group mentioned in the question stem ('autonomy theorists') within the passage.
The autonomy theorists' views are detailed exclusively in the second paragraph.
Accurate viewpoint attribution requires isolating the exact text where the target group's arguments are presented, distinct from the author's voice or other groups.
2
Analyze the specific claims attributed to the autonomy theorists in that paragraph.
The text states they believe nudging is 'manipulative,' operates by 'exploiting cognitive biases,' 'bypassing rational deliberation,' and 'subverts their agency.'
This establishes the core parameters of the correct answer based strictly on explicit textual evidence.
3
Evaluate the answer choices against these explicit claims while eliminating options that belong to other viewpoints.
The correct option directly synthesizes the theorists' claims about bypassing deliberation and exploiting biases. The other options describe the author's critique, the proponents' defense, or exaggerate the theorists' claims.
Ensures the selected answer is a faithful attribution of the requested viewpoint without falling into common traps like misattribution or extreme wording.

Key Concept

Distinguishing the specific arguments of a cited group from the author's evaluation of those arguments.
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Topics

Viewpoint Attribution

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