Robert Nozick's Entitlement Theory Of Justice

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MINIMAL STATE States are adopted by people, because they have always been and will be. That’s why all conversations or all reasoning are about ‘’how the states must be like’’. However, this question is a kind of second-level question. The main question about the states is that if they are really necessary organizations or if the states are morally legitimate. Libertarianism is one of the most suspicious and the most offish tradition against the idea of the state. Libertarianism is the extreme axis of liberalism. The main aim of libertarianism is ‘’pure freedom’’. Libertarianism defends free society in which there is no intervention to behavior and actions of individual and private…show more content…
Now we will look at Nozick response as regards the role of the state and his ‘’Entitlement Theory of Justice’’ by examining his book ‘’Anarchy, State and Utopia’’. A)ROBERT NOZICK AND THE IDEA OF ‘’MINIMAL STATE’’ Robert Nozick (1938-2002) was an American philosopher. He was well known thanks to his book, Anarchy, State and Utopia (1974). His book made an huge influence in libertarian circle as well as in intellectual and academic circle. His book was seen as a stunning reply to John Rawl’s A Theory of Justice-that is almost the most serious advocacy of welfare state until that time. First, R. Nozick argued that respect for individual rights is the main standard. He developed a libertarian conception of morality and discussed about individuals’ certain rights. According to Nozick, the only legitimate state is a minimal state-also called a ‘’night watchman state’’. He sees any other political organization as immoral, unfair and blamable. Nozick argued that minimal state is a kind of state that limits its actions to the protection of the rights of life, liberty and…show more content…
Then he imagines a scenario in which a minimal state that emerges without violating individuals’ natural rights. Nozick indicates a few steps between the state of nature proper and the minimal state. The first step is the creation of protective agencies. Some protective agencies emerge in a particular territory. But in time, one agency becomes dominant within its territory. And then one question comes to mind of whether it constitutes a state. Nozick argues that it constitutes a minimal state if it performs two basic conditions: a) It operates a monopoly of force in its territory, not allowing any individuals to enforce their own rights (Wood, D. ‘’Nozick’s Justification of the Minimal State) b) It protects all individuals in its area and not only those who have paid for protection (Wood, D. ‘’Nozick’s Justification of the Minimal State) In conclusion, these two conditions define the ‘’minimal state’’. Thus, the state entity should be based on the respect of three fundamental rights: rights of life, liberty and property. It also must not include the power to tax or to condemn property of

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