Behavioural techniques or ‘nudges’ can be used for various purposes. In this paper, we shift the ... more Behavioural techniques or ‘nudges’ can be used for various purposes. In this paper, we shift the focus from government nudges to nudges used by for-profit market agents. We argue that potential worries about nudges circumventing the deliberative capacities or diminishing the control of targeted agents are greater when it comes to market nudges, given that these (1) are not constrained by the principles that regulate government nudges (mildness, sensitivity to people’s interests and public justifiability) and (2) are often ‘stacked’ – they come in great numbers that overwhelm agents. In addition, we respond to possible objections and derive several policy suggestions.
In many countries, private health insurance companies are allowed to vary their premiums, or to r... more In many countries, private health insurance companies are allowed to vary their premiums, or to reject applicants, based on some information on individuals. This practice is intuitively justified by the idea that people should pay the premium corresponding to their own known risk. However, one may consider this as a form of discrimination or wrongful differential treatment. Our goal in this paper is to assess whether profiling is ethically permissible in health insurance. We go beyond the existing literature in considering any possible parameter in profiling, be it genetic, non-genetic, or even non-medical (such as age or place of living). Analyzing several ethical concerns, and tackling the difficult question of responsibility, we argue that profiling is unjust in health insurance
In het werk van Friedrich Nietzsche komen heel wat citaten voor die impliciet of expliciet handel... more In het werk van Friedrich Nietzsche komen heel wat citaten voor die impliciet of expliciet handelen over Boeddha of het boeddhisme. Net zoals bij andere thema's uit zijn werk, blijken zijn opmerkingen ambigu of zelfs contradictorisch te zijn. Om wat meer duidelijkheid te creëren, geef ik in het eerste deel van dit artikel een algemene interpretatie van Nietzsches waardering van het boeddhisme. Vervolgens werk ik dit verder uit met behulp van een grondige analyse van zijn werk 'Die fröhliche Wissenschaft'. Hieruit blijkt dat Nietzsche enerzijds een zekere sympathie heeft voor het boeddhisme, maar het anderzijds toch sterk bekritiseert (tweede deel). Ik probeer hier eveneens aan te tonen dat Nietzsche de boeddhistische leerstellingen niet altijd juist heeft geïnterpreteerd. Op die manier wordt duidelijk in het derde en laatste deel dat Nietzsche, in zijn strijd tegen een vermeend boeddhisme, erg dicht komt bij het eigenlijke boeddhisme (
ABSTRACT: This article focuses on the ,difficult issue of what ,exactly goes on when,an individua... more ABSTRACT: This article focuses on the ,difficult issue of what ,exactly goes on when,an individual ,tolerates something. It focuses on the ,problem ,of why ,an individual would ,ever choose ,to allow ,for some ,practice that he deems unacceptable,while ,having ,the power ,to do ,something ,about ,it. After distinguishing between different attitudes (tolerant as well as intolerant), this article argues that individuals can have various reasons for deciding to tolerate what they deem wrong. As such, we defend a broad conception of tolerance, which goes against the grain of recent literature in which,tolerance is generally understood as a virtue. IN THE LITERATURE ON TOLERANCE there is a divide between ,those
Rationality, Norms and Institutions: In Search of a Realistic UtopiaThe main goal of political ph... more Rationality, Norms and Institutions: In Search of a Realistic UtopiaThe main goal of political philosophers is to search for a realistic utopia by taking individuals as they are and institutions, rules and laws as they might be. Instead of trying to change either individuals or institutions in order to improve society, this article argues that both strategies should be combined, since there are causal connections running both ways. Because individuals ultimately devise and uphold institutions, one should be optimistic about the possibilities of deliberately improving society through institutional reforms. However, one should adequately model the influences that these reforms have on individuals, their identities and their motivations. From the fact that individuals can actually turn into egoists if they are treated as such, this article stresses the need to detect and maintain non-egoistic motivations. Since informal norms, for example, motivate individuals to socially desirable act...
PHD THESIS SUMMARY: Rationality and institutions: an inquiry into the normative implications of r... more PHD THESIS SUMMARY: Rationality and institutions: an inquiry into the normative implications of rational choice theory. In my dissertation, I aim to analyze what a desirable basic institutional structure looks like from the perspective of rational choice theory. While the main topic is thus normative in nature, I start by clarifying in the first part what the notion of rationality exactly entails. I do so by focusing explicitly on the economic conception of rationality, according to which a rational individual is motivated to serve his self-interest on the basis of cost-benefit calculations. Such a homo economicus is characterized by intentional and instrumental actions, perfectly informed beliefs and exogenously given and egoistic preferences. In my view, however, this model is inadequate if one aims to understand what it means to be rational. All of the above mentioned requirements turn out to be overly demanding in this respect. That is why I suggest dropping these assumptions in...
P hilosophy, in its many forms and guises, has a broader relevance than many people realize. In s... more P hilosophy, in its many forms and guises, has a broader relevance than many people realize. In societies where populism reigns, political philosophy can help you appreciate the meaning, value and importance of democracy. When conspiracy thinking becomes widespread, epistemologists and philosophers of science can help you understand what it means for something to be true and count as knowledge. One might even argue that the quicker the pace of our lives, our technologies, our news and our decisionmaking processes, the bigger the need for the kind of careful, systematic and critical thinking that characterizes philosophy. Because that is exactly what good philosophy is: thinking slowly, reflecting critically, realizing that things may not be as obvious as they might seem at first hand, trying to figure out how things hang together from a broader perspective. Philosophy, we believe, is a verb. When you read good philosophy, this encourages you to actually do philosophy.
Behavioural techniques or ‘nudges’ can be used for various purposes. In this paper, we shift the ... more Behavioural techniques or ‘nudges’ can be used for various purposes. In this paper, we shift the focus from government nudges to nudges used by for-profit market agents. We argue that potential worries about nudges circumventing the deliberative capacities or diminishing the control of targeted agents are greater when it comes to market nudges, given that these (1) are not constrained by the principles that regulate government nudges (mildness, sensitivity to people’s interests and public justifiability) and (2) are often ‘stacked’ – they come in great numbers that overwhelm agents. In addition, we respond to possible objections and derive several policy suggestions.
In many countries, private health insurance companies are allowed to vary their premiums, or to r... more In many countries, private health insurance companies are allowed to vary their premiums, or to reject applicants, based on some information on individuals. This practice is intuitively justified by the idea that people should pay the premium corresponding to their own known risk. However, one may consider this as a form of discrimination or wrongful differential treatment. Our goal in this paper is to assess whether profiling is ethically permissible in health insurance. We go beyond the existing literature in considering any possible parameter in profiling, be it genetic, non-genetic, or even non-medical (such as age or place of living). Analyzing several ethical concerns, and tackling the difficult question of responsibility, we argue that profiling is unjust in health insurance
In het werk van Friedrich Nietzsche komen heel wat citaten voor die impliciet of expliciet handel... more In het werk van Friedrich Nietzsche komen heel wat citaten voor die impliciet of expliciet handelen over Boeddha of het boeddhisme. Net zoals bij andere thema's uit zijn werk, blijken zijn opmerkingen ambigu of zelfs contradictorisch te zijn. Om wat meer duidelijkheid te creëren, geef ik in het eerste deel van dit artikel een algemene interpretatie van Nietzsches waardering van het boeddhisme. Vervolgens werk ik dit verder uit met behulp van een grondige analyse van zijn werk 'Die fröhliche Wissenschaft'. Hieruit blijkt dat Nietzsche enerzijds een zekere sympathie heeft voor het boeddhisme, maar het anderzijds toch sterk bekritiseert (tweede deel). Ik probeer hier eveneens aan te tonen dat Nietzsche de boeddhistische leerstellingen niet altijd juist heeft geïnterpreteerd. Op die manier wordt duidelijk in het derde en laatste deel dat Nietzsche, in zijn strijd tegen een vermeend boeddhisme, erg dicht komt bij het eigenlijke boeddhisme (
ABSTRACT: This article focuses on the ,difficult issue of what ,exactly goes on when,an individua... more ABSTRACT: This article focuses on the ,difficult issue of what ,exactly goes on when,an individual ,tolerates something. It focuses on the ,problem ,of why ,an individual would ,ever choose ,to allow ,for some ,practice that he deems unacceptable,while ,having ,the power ,to do ,something ,about ,it. After distinguishing between different attitudes (tolerant as well as intolerant), this article argues that individuals can have various reasons for deciding to tolerate what they deem wrong. As such, we defend a broad conception of tolerance, which goes against the grain of recent literature in which,tolerance is generally understood as a virtue. IN THE LITERATURE ON TOLERANCE there is a divide between ,those
Rationality, Norms and Institutions: In Search of a Realistic UtopiaThe main goal of political ph... more Rationality, Norms and Institutions: In Search of a Realistic UtopiaThe main goal of political philosophers is to search for a realistic utopia by taking individuals as they are and institutions, rules and laws as they might be. Instead of trying to change either individuals or institutions in order to improve society, this article argues that both strategies should be combined, since there are causal connections running both ways. Because individuals ultimately devise and uphold institutions, one should be optimistic about the possibilities of deliberately improving society through institutional reforms. However, one should adequately model the influences that these reforms have on individuals, their identities and their motivations. From the fact that individuals can actually turn into egoists if they are treated as such, this article stresses the need to detect and maintain non-egoistic motivations. Since informal norms, for example, motivate individuals to socially desirable act...
PHD THESIS SUMMARY: Rationality and institutions: an inquiry into the normative implications of r... more PHD THESIS SUMMARY: Rationality and institutions: an inquiry into the normative implications of rational choice theory. In my dissertation, I aim to analyze what a desirable basic institutional structure looks like from the perspective of rational choice theory. While the main topic is thus normative in nature, I start by clarifying in the first part what the notion of rationality exactly entails. I do so by focusing explicitly on the economic conception of rationality, according to which a rational individual is motivated to serve his self-interest on the basis of cost-benefit calculations. Such a homo economicus is characterized by intentional and instrumental actions, perfectly informed beliefs and exogenously given and egoistic preferences. In my view, however, this model is inadequate if one aims to understand what it means to be rational. All of the above mentioned requirements turn out to be overly demanding in this respect. That is why I suggest dropping these assumptions in...
P hilosophy, in its many forms and guises, has a broader relevance than many people realize. In s... more P hilosophy, in its many forms and guises, has a broader relevance than many people realize. In societies where populism reigns, political philosophy can help you appreciate the meaning, value and importance of democracy. When conspiracy thinking becomes widespread, epistemologists and philosophers of science can help you understand what it means for something to be true and count as knowledge. One might even argue that the quicker the pace of our lives, our technologies, our news and our decisionmaking processes, the bigger the need for the kind of careful, systematic and critical thinking that characterizes philosophy. Because that is exactly what good philosophy is: thinking slowly, reflecting critically, realizing that things may not be as obvious as they might seem at first hand, trying to figure out how things hang together from a broader perspective. Philosophy, we believe, is a verb. When you read good philosophy, this encourages you to actually do philosophy.
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