Limitations of Predictable Rationality and Responsive Nudges in Political Science

The reliance on predictable rationality as well as responsive nudges in political science faces limitations. While it is acknowledged that human behavior is not purely predictable and rational, the concept of being solely responsible and responsive to nudges also falls short as humans are more complex and mysterious. The idea that every nudge will elicit a specific response is not entirely true, rather it is more of a probabilistic concept. Additionally, cultural influences and individual interpretations play a significant role in human behavior, which cannot be solely explained by statistical analysis or impersonal mechanistic explanations. The failure to consider people's meanings, stories, and self-interpretations leads to a fundamental mistake in understanding human behavior, as humans are cultural animals whose responses cannot always be mechanistically predicted or explained.