Sure you can. Pretty sure I could do it with most any part of my body.

Instead of being a metaphor repetition device try saying what you think straightforwardly. It goes more interesting places.

Actually it tends not to go to such interesting places.

"Nudge" refers to a concept in mainstream political science that minor behavioural-economics inspired changes can have a more powerful affect than draconian laws.

The Bernays quote is a sort of tin-foil hat extension of that idea, that someone somewhere is so all powerful they can influence the masses to do what they the person wants.

Total crap.

if the slope of economic self interest is downhill, all the nudging and the clever manipulation of people's perception will not get the rock of humanity to move up the hill.

Idiots like Bernays who think the crowd cannot be left to itself because it might hurt itself with scissors, think that small PR related nudges can guide great decisions. Which is probably true if all you are doing is selling washing powder, or have selective confirmation bias.

I know the book (actually I think it's on the table behind me in a stack as I type) but I didn't catch that reference from what you posted.

I'm pretty sure nudge is not a Bernays reference (could be wrong). It's, well I am not too sure, but likely out of Chicago School of economics.

As for rocks going up hill, old old books, bloke called Sisyphus.

No, but Edward Bernays wrote about how to convince others to do so on your behalf.

What's the point of nudging a rock uphill, I guess I would ask.

Down at the bottom or at the crest, it's still a rock.

Sure, but it's a lot more effective to roll it onto someone's head from the top of the hill than from the bottom.

heh, I guess you could leave the rock where it arrived by natural physical forces.