5.3c Robert Nozick

Question 1

Robert Nozick (1938-2002)

Answer 1

Robert Nozick was a right-wing libertarian thinker who is famous for writing “Anarchy, the State and Utopia”. He supported a minimal state which is a state with limited power over the actions of individuals.

Question 2

Libertarianism

Answer 2

Nozick opposed taxes, calling them “legalised theft” - and therefore economic redistribution and social justice is theft of individual private property.

As a result, Nozick objected to the welfare state.

Nozick supported free-market capitalism and believed that the way goods are distributed in the free market is just.

Nozick disagreed with any policy that meant individuals in societies were used as a means to an end, rather than an end in themselves.

Question 3

Justice

Answer 3

Nozick disagreed with state interventions in order to redistribute resources in a more just way.

He believed that if the state had control over justice, resources would be given to groups that are important to win elections, such as the elderly.

This can be seen in decisions by governments to protect old-age pensions, as a high percentage of retirees vote in elections.

Question 4

Self-ownership

Answer 4

Individual sovereignty is an important part of Nozick’s political philosophy.

Nozick considered the right of the individual for ownership over their own person to be a vital part of being human.
Nozick believed that if the state had control over individuals, individuals will be reduced to having to work for a common goal rather than individual self-determination.

Instead, he believed that individuals should own their bodies and abilities.