ROBERT NOZICK Flashcards
What was Nozick’s key work?
‘Anarchy, State And Utopia’ (1974)
Which Neo-liberal philosopher did Nozick develop many of his views from?
Friedrich von Hayek
What did Nozick considerer the gravest contemporary threat to individual freedom?
The growth of government
What did Nozick believe welfare states in Western Europe foster?
A dependency culture
As a libertarian what did Nozick belie about government restrictions and society in a libertarian sense?
That the individual should be ‘left alone’ not just in economic spheres but social and cultural too; leading to a ‘permissive society’
Why was Nozick not an ‘true’ anarchist?
Because he was a minarchist
What is a minarchist state?
A state that mainly involved outsourcing public services to private companies
What did Nozick think about tax?
‘tax, for the most part, is theft’
What does Nozick’s view on tax tell us about his view on human nature?
That as individuals have self-interest, Nozick has an upbeat view on human nature, though they are the sole authors of their talents and abilities and should be left alone to realise them
What did Nozick claim were not the main characteristics of humanity but the perseveration of life liberty and property ‘could not be taken for granted’?
Dishonesty, theft and violence, showing Nozick was not wholeheartedly positive about human nature
What other than raw individualism and free-market capitalism did Nozick say a limited state would facilitate?
An multitude of self-sufficient communities to emerge alongside the extension of individual freedom, with each of these communities to be free to practise its particular moral codes and values, including those which might be seen as socialist or anti-Christian
Nozick’s view on human nature
Individuals are driven by a quest for “self-ownership” allowing them to realise their full potential
Nozick’s view on the state
the minarchist state should merely outsource,renew and reallocate contracts to private companies providing public services
Nozick’s view on society
Society should be geared to individual self-fulfilment. this may lead to a plethora of small,variable communities reflecting their members’ diverse tastes and philosophies
Nozick’s view on the economy
The minarchist state should detach itself from a privatised economy, merely arbitrati ng disputes between private economic organisations
