Why do sudden social movements happen? Why are they sometimes so difficult to anticipate? And can you predict a revolution? Cass Sunstein, Harvard Professor and co-author of the worldwide bestseller Nudge, will shed his light on the crucial role of social norms and their frequent collapse, with the #MeToo movement as a point of departure.
On 4 June 3029, our research programme had the honour of welcoming the most cited legal scholar in the world, Cass Sunstein. The Harvard Professor and founding father of the Nudgemovement gave a lecture on unanticipated social movement in an event that was moderated by Pieter Desmet. The Erasmus Pavillion was filled to the brim when Cass Sunstein laid out his vision on how revolutions take place and how sudden social movements like #metoo can be so successful. Talking about preference falsification and the existence of different thresholds, he explained how social cascades can emerge, resulting in rapid social change. The inspiring lecture sparked a vivid discussion that lasted almost as long as the lecture itself.