Robert Nozick
Political Studies: Edexcel A Level, topic 5.3.3
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.
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.
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.
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.
Test yourself on Robert Nozick
Which text is Robert Nozick famous for writing?
What did Nozick call taxes?