On Freedom - Hardcover

Sunstein, Cass R.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0691191158 ISBN 13: 9780691191157

Publisher: Princeton University Press, 2019

Synopsis

From New York Times bestselling author Cass Sunstein, a brisk, provocative book that shows what freedom really means―and requires―today

In this pathbreaking book, New York Times bestselling author Cass Sunstein asks us to rethink freedom. He shows that freedom of choice isn’t nearly enough. To be free, we must also be able to navigate life. People often need something like a GPS device to help them get where they want to go―whether the issue involves health, money, jobs, children, or relationships.

In both rich and poor countries, citizens often have no idea how to get to their desired destination. That is why they are unfree. People also face serious problems of self-control, as many of them make decisions today that can make their lives worse tomorrow. And in some cases, we would be just as happy with other choices, whether a different partner, career, or place to live―which raises the difficult question of which outcome best promotes our well-being.

Accessible and lively, and drawing on perspectives from the humanities, religion, and the arts, as well as social science and the law, On Freedom explores a crucial dimension of the human condition that philosophers and economists have long missed―and shows what it would take to make freedom real.

About this title

Book Description:

A short essay exploring whether and when people’s free choices lead to better lives, and the role that the “problem of navigability” plays in the possibility and limits of freedom.

About the Author:

Cass R. Sunstein is the Robert Walmsley University Professor at Harvard Law School, where he is the founder and director of the Program on Behavioral Economics and Public Policy. From 2009 to 2012, he led the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. His many books include the New York Times bestsellers Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness (with Richard H. Thaler) and The World According to Star Wars. The 2018 recipient of Norway’s Holberg Prize, he lives in Concord, Massachusetts. Twitter @CassSunstein

About this edition

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 0691191158
• ISBN 13: 9780691191157
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 136