Robert Nozick: Property, Justice, and the Minimal State

Key Contemporary Thinkers (Polity)

by Jonathan Wolff

Robert Nozick's Anarchy, State, and Utopia is one of the works which dominate contemporary debate in political philosophy. Drawing on traditional assumptions associated with individualism and libertarianism, Nozick mounts a powerful argument for a minimal "night-watchman" state and challenges the views of many contemporary philosophers, most notably John Rawls. This book is the first full-length study of Nozick's work and of the debates to which it has given rise. Wolff situates Nozick's work in the context of current debates and examines the traditions which have influenced his thought. He then critically reconstructs the key arguments of Anarchy, State, and Utopia , focusing on Nozick's doctrine of rights, his derivation of the minimal state, and his Entitlement Theory of Justice. Wolff subjects Nozick's reasoning to rigorous scrutiny and argues that, despite the seductive simplicity of Nozick's libertarianism, it is, in the end, neither plausible nor wholly coherent. The book concludes by assessing Nozick's place in contemporary political philosophy.

Genres: Philosophy, Politics

184 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Jonathan Wolff is a Professor specialising in political philosophy at University College London, in England. Wolff earned his MPhil from UCL under the direction of G.A. Cohen. He is the secretary of the British Philosophical Association and honorary secretary of the Aristotelian Society, which publishes Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society. Recently, Wolff's work has specialized in disadvantage and equality and public policy decision making.

Reviews

[Cris · Rating 4 out of 5]

very concise and well explained, would recommend for anyone studying Nozick. I was particularly impressed by the way it engages with the theory of distributive justice, and it provides a much more clear viewpoint than similar texts.

[Daniel Clemence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gives a large overview and critiques of Robert Nozick's work. I read it back at university and it was useful for understanding Nozick's political and moral philosophy. Also provides useful critiques as well.

[Kyle Macleod · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice summary of Nozick’s work and its main criticism. I feel the author was generous in his criticism while also giving Nozick adequate respect for the scale of his achievement.

[Arbitrista · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strong but sympathetic of Nozick's Anarchy, State, and Utopia, Wolff does an excellent job of pointing out the very serious flaws in Nozick's theory (and my extension libertarianism in general) while offering an account on why despite these limitations the work has proved so durable.