Cass R. Sunstein – On Freedom book review

In a nutshell (136 pages), this compact little book is to books what concentrate is to juice. Nothing is superfluous, Sunstein is clearly not paid by the word. Many very important questions about personal freedom are raised, answered, then left in doubt. And that’s just fine.

What I got out of it

Many people have heard of the famous Nudge technique made famous by this author, Sunstein, and Richard Thaler. Having made nudging popular with governments around the world, especially instead of getting weak results or coercing people, Sunstein now raises very smart questions about the ethics of this as well as many other impediments to true freedom. Even if you don’t think of yourself as a libertarian, this is a very interesting read.

What was difficult

As refreshing as it is to be able to read the thoughts of someone who is so mentally flexible, you don’t get a yes-or-no answer at the end. Which is sort of annoying, and sort of great. While the book is very quick to read, you’ll need hours more to digest and work out what you just learned. Partly because what you mostly learn is a set of questions we all should ask. Though answers are offered, you’re really given plenty of room to think about the issues yourself and offered a framework to work with.

Recommendation

Read this book! Don’t attempt to listen to an audiobook version unless you intend to not multitask. This little book is worthy of your attention.