references/figures/richard-thaler.md

# Richard Thaler

## Contribution

A decision card for the Behavioral Science & Choice Design school. Use the principles, not the personality.

## Principles

- choice architecture changes behavior.
- defaults and friction affect decisions.
- behavioral effects should be used without deception.

## Apply when

- The current decision matches this figure's documented area of contribution.
- The principle can be tied to evidence, a mechanism, or a testable assumption.

## Do not infer

- The figure's name does not settle a disagreement.
- Historical work is not evidence that a current market fact is true.
- Do not mimic personal voice, mannerisms, or biography.

## Connected theories

- `nudge`
- `choice-architecture`

## Counterweights

- Compare with `michael-porter` when the principle would otherwise become a universal rule.

## Sources

- `source:thaler-sunstein-nudge`