5.3.3

Robert Nozick

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Robert Nozick (1938-2002)

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.

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Libertarianism

  • 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.
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Justice

  • 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.
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Self-ownership

  • 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.

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1Democracy & Participation

2Political Parties

3Electoral Systems

4Voting Behaviour & the Media

5Conservatism

6Liberalism

7Socialism

8The UK Constitution

9The UK Parliament

10The Prime Minister & the Executive

11Relationships Between Government Branches

12US Constitution & Federalism

13US Congress

14US Presidency

15US Supreme Court & Civil Rights

16US Democracy & Participation

17Comparing Democracies

18Feminism

19Nationalism

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