Robert Nozick
1938-2002 · American · Political Philosophy, Ethics, Epistemology, Metaphysics
Taxation of earnings from labor is on a par with forced labor.
When John Rawls published A Theory of Justice in 1971 and seemed to settle liberal political thought for a generation, a philosopher at Harvard wrote the rejoinder that split the discipline. Robert Nozick's Anarchy, State, and Utopia appeared in 1974, won the National Book Award, and became the most influential work of libertarian political philosophy ever written.
Topics Robert Nozick addresses
- the entitlement theory of justice
- the minimal state
- side constraints
- the Wilt Chamberlain argument
- the experience machine
- self-ownership
- taxation as forced labor
- patterned versus historical theories of justice
- liberty upsets patterns
- the invisible-hand explanation of the state
- protective associations
- just acquisition
- just transfer
- rectification of past injustice
- the Lockean proviso
- the framework for utopia
- meta-utopia
- the tracking theory of knowledge
- counterfactual sensitivity
- closure of knowledge under entailment
- the Gettier problem
- noncoercive philosophy
- philosophical explanation versus proof
- the Parthenon model of philosophy
Questions to put to Robert Nozick
The Minimal State and the Invisible Hand
- How can a state arise from anarchy without violating anyone's rights?
- What exactly is the minimal state, and what functions does it perform?
- Why can't the state justifiably do more than protect against force, theft, and fraud?
- How do protective associations evolve into a dominant agency?
- What makes the minimal state different from a protection racket?
The Entitlement Theory and Distributive Justice
- What's the difference between historical and patterned theories of justice?
- How does the Wilt Chamberlain argument work?
- What do you mean when you say liberty upsets patterns?
- How do you determine what counts as just acquisition of previously unowned things?
- What's wrong with Rawls's difference principle?
- How would rectification of past injustice actually work in practice?
Taxation, Self-Ownership, and Forced Labor
- How is taxing my earnings on a par with forcing me to work for others?
- What does it mean to say I own myself?
- If taxation is forced labor, what about roads and national defense?
- Why can't the majority democratically decide to redistribute wealth?
- Does self-ownership mean I can sell myself into slavery?
Side Constraints and the Separateness of Persons
- What's the difference between rights as side constraints and rights as goals?
- Why can't I violate one person's rights to prevent five violations elsewhere?
- What do you mean by the separateness of persons?
- How do side constraints connect to treating people as ends rather than means?
- Can side constraints ever be overridden in extreme emergencies?
Utopia, Meta-Utopia, and Voluntary Communities
- What is the framework for utopia?
- How can incompatible utopian communities coexist in your framework?
- What happens to people who don't fit into any existing community?
- Why is a meta-utopian framework better than a single utopian blueprint?
- Can people leave their chosen communities freely?
Knowledge, Experience, and What Matters in Life
- What is the tracking theory of knowledge?
- Why don't I know I'm not a brain in a vat on your account?
- Would you plug into the experience machine?
- What does the experience machine show about what we value?
- How did your views on politics and community change after Anarchy, State, and Utopia?
- What is noncoercive philosophy, and why does it matter to you?
Converse with Robert Nozick on Simposeum. Replies are grounded in Robert Nozick's own writing, cited to the page.