Robert Nozick: Property, Justice and the Minimal State

Key Contemporary Thinkers (Polity)

by Jonathan Wolff

This is a study of Nozick's work and the debates to which it has given rise. It locates Nozick's work in the complex of current philosophical and political debates, and explores the influences on his work. It then proceeds to a more detailed analysis of Anarchy, State and Utopia, concentrating on Nozick's doctrine of rights, the minimal role he assigns to the state and his theory of justice. The book argues that many of the libertarian theories put forward by Nozick lack a convincing justification.

Genres: Philosophy, Politics

168 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.