Convincing Ourselves

Introduction Influencing the general public is a hotly debated topic in the policy. In any form of government reforms and agendas have to be 'sold' to the public. The government has traditionally been done through information dissemination through the media and done so quite effectively. An example can be of course selling wars or military interventions to the public. When the intent, however, is misinformation on a large scale, it becomes 'propaganda'. Despite its negative connotations, it is surely been present in democracies, as much as in dictatorships. A few years ago we have seen a move towards 'Nudging' individuals also called the Nudge Theory. This was popularized by Book by Cass Sunstein and Richard Thaler in their book ' Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness '. An example of this could be the wording on a referendum to discourage a certain outcome or perhaps limiting choices for the consumers on the type o...

Before reading the passage below, please take three long, calm, deep breaths. Read the passage below, calmly and slowly. Once you have taken your time to read through the passage, it will leave you with a feeling of stillness and beauty. Anna loved to go outside and talk long walks when she was bored or wanted to relax. She lived among the hilly plains of lush green Irish country side, so nature was her best friend. On this beautiful sunny day, she stepped out of her old wooden, but cozy cottage and started walking along the road towards the river banks. The old road towards the river banks was surrounded by lush green land and a clear blue sky. Today, it looked particularly breathtaking as Anna could see as far as her sight. The air was crisp and clear, and everything around her was green. There was a slight breeze in the air and the grass around her would sway every now and then. The air was cool,  sun was warm, and the sky was blue creating a perfect day to take a walk. An...