Cass Sunstein Character Analysis in Thinking, Fast and Slow

A psychologist who collaborated with Richard Thaler and also took the opposite perspective on risk as Paul Slovic. Sunstein believes that the system of regulation in the United States caters too much to public pressure. Risk, in his view, should only be calculated by lives and dollars lost, rather than public fear. Sunstein also served in the Obama administration and helped to change regulations concerning common framing devices. This work included the way in which a car’s fuel economy should be presented to the public: listing the much more informative gallons-per-mile statistic than the more common miles-per-gallon information.

Cass Sunstein Character Timeline in Thinking, Fast and Slow

The timeline below shows where the character Cass Sunstein appears in Thinking, Fast and Slow. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Stories and Subjectivity vs. Statistics and Objectivity Theme Icon

Another scholar, Cass Sunstein, argues against Slovic. Sunstein believes that the system of regulation in the United States reflects... (full context)

Human Fallibility and Overconfidence Theme Icon

Sunstein’s research focuses on two examples that are still debated: the Love Canal affair and the... (full context)

Intuition, Deliberation, and Laziness Theme Icon

...Beth will only reduce hers by 83 gallons. The mpg frame is wrong, and Cass Sunstein, a psychologist who worked with Richard Thaler, helped to change policy that now requires fuel... (full context)

In Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein’s book Nudge, they address the dilemma of how to help people make good decisions without... (full context)

Additional applications of libertarian paternalism introduced by Sunstein include the gas mileage example from earlier, a new version of dietary guidelines that eradicated... (full context)