person1970s-2002

Robert Nozick

Disciplines:

Summary

American philosopher who wrote the most influential philosophical defense of libertarianism, developed the tracking theory of knowledge, and made contributions across philosophy.

Core Contribution

Anarchy, State, and Utopia: the minimal state is the only state consistent with individual rights — taxation for redistribution violates rights. The entitlement theory of justice: justice in holdings depends on history (how they were acquired), not pattern. Tracking theory of knowledge: S knows that P if and only if S would not believe P if P were false, and would believe P if P were true. The examined life and philosophical investigations.

Key Spikes & Highlights

Anarchy, State, and Utopia was written explicitly as a response to Rawls's A Theory of Justice — published three years later — and together they define the two poles of liberal political philosophy: Rawls's egalitarian liberal and Nozick's libertarian.
The Wilt Chamberlain argument: if people are free to give Wilt Chamberlain a quarter to watch him play, he ends up with a lot of quarters — you can't have liberty and equality because free exchange will always move us away from any chosen pattern.
Was unusually intellectually honest — the introduction to The Examined Life says he no longer believes the libertarian position of ASU, which he now regards as too hard-nosed; a rare public repudiation of a major work.

Notable Works & Achievements

Anarchy, State, and Utopia

Philosophical Explanations

The Examined Life

The Nature of Rationality

Historical Influences

F.A. Hayek John Rawls

Intellectual Lineage

Analytic Philosophy Libertarian Political Philosophy

Contemporaries & Peers

John Rawls Derek Parfit

Minds Influenced

Libertarian Political Philosophy Epistemology

Intellectual Posterity

Libertarianism Tracking Theory of Knowledge Rights-Based Political Philosophy

Discussing

Robert Nozick

Ask anything about Robert Nozick — their ideas, influences, contradictions, legacy.

person1970s-2002

Robert Nozick

Disciplines:

Summary

American philosopher who wrote the most influential philosophical defense of libertarianism, developed the tracking theory of knowledge, and made contributions across philosophy.

Core Contribution

Key Spikes & Highlights

Anarchy, State, and Utopia was written explicitly as a response to Rawls's A Theory of Justice — published three years later — and together they define the two poles of liberal political philosophy: Rawls's egalitarian liberal and Nozick's libertarian.
The Wilt Chamberlain argument: if people are free to give Wilt Chamberlain a quarter to watch him play, he ends up with a lot of quarters — you can't have liberty and equality because free exchange will always move us away from any chosen pattern.
Was unusually intellectually honest — the introduction to The Examined Life says he no longer believes the libertarian position of ASU, which he now regards as too hard-nosed; a rare public repudiation of a major work.

Notable Works & Achievements

Anarchy, State, and Utopia

Philosophical Explanations

The Examined Life

The Nature of Rationality

Historical Influences

F.A. Hayek John Rawls

Intellectual Lineage

Analytic Philosophy Libertarian Political Philosophy

Contemporaries & Peers

John Rawls Derek Parfit

Minds Influenced

Libertarian Political Philosophy Epistemology

Intellectual Posterity

Libertarianism Tracking Theory of Knowledge Rights-Based Political Philosophy

Discussing

Robert Nozick

Ask anything about Robert Nozick — their ideas, influences, contradictions, legacy.