Robert Nozick
1. Robert Nozick is a contemporary political philosopher belongs to:
(a) England
(b) Germany
(c) America
(d) Italy
Ans. America
2. The book ‘ Anarchy, State and Utopia’ is written by:
(a) Rawls
(b) Nozick
(c) Hobbes
(d) None of these
Ans. (b)Robert Nozick
3. ‘Anarchy, State and Utopia’ is a libertarian answer to John Rawls’s monumental work:
(a) A Theory of Justice
(b) Political Liberalism
(c) The Law of Peoples
(d) Justice as Fairness
Ans. (a) A Theory of Justice
4. Who among the following is not a social contract theorist:
(a) Locke
(b) Hobbes
(c) Rousseau
(d) Karl Marx
Ans. (d) Karl Marx
5. The book ‘Anarchy, State and Utopia’ is published in the year:
(a) 1971
(b) 1972
(c) 1974
(d) 1975
Ans. (c) 1974
6. Who treated the right to property as sacrosanct:
(a) Rawls
(b) Locke
(c) Nozick
(d) All of the above
Ans. (c) Nozick
7. Laissez-faire, which means ‘leave alone’ is a:
(a) Latin word
(b) French word
(c) English word
(d) Greek word
Ans. (b) French word
8. Who called, ‘Rights are the product of voluntary exchange’:
(a) Rawls
(b) Locke
(c) Nozick
(d) All of the above
Ans. (c) Nozick
9. Nozick is a:
(a) liberal thinker
(b) libertarian thinker
(c) Communitarian thinker
(d) None of these
10. Nozick followed the moral principles of:
(a) Kant
(b) Hegel
(c) Green
(d) Rousseau
Ans. (a) Kant
11. What are the major sources of acquisition insisted by Nozick:
(a) Their selves
(b) The natural world
(c) The things people make by applying themselves to the natural world
(d) All of the above
Ans. (d) All of the above
12. Entitlement theory of justice is given by:
(a) Rawls
(b) Locke
(c) Nozick
(d) All of the above
Ans. (c) Nozick
13. Which among the following is not a principle of justice by Nozick:
(a) Initial acquisition
(b) Voluntary transfer
(c) Rectification
(d) None of these
Ans. (d) None of these
Important Facts about Robert Nozick:
Robert Nozick was an American philosopher born in November 16, 1938 at New York City, U.S. and died in January 23, 2002.
He was a professor at Harvard University and later became the president of the American Philosophical Association.
Robert Nozick is one of the most influential thinker of Western Political Philosophy and belong to Analytical Libertarian School.
Robert Nozick was influenced by thinkers like John Locke, Immanuel Kant, Frederick Hayek and others.
Books Written by Robert Nozick:
The normative theory of individual choice-1963
Anarchy, State, and Utopia-1974
Philosophical Explanations-1981
The Examined Life-1989
The Nature of Rationality-1993
Invariances-2001
Political Thoughts of Robert Nozick:
Robert Nozick is an eminent American political philosopher who is globally known for his contribution to the field of political philosophy. His most influential book is “Anarchy, State, and Utopia” (1974) which give a libertarian perspective on political philosophy. Some key concepts of Nozick’s political thought are :
- Minimal State: Nozick argues for a minimal state after John Locke, limited to the functions like- protection against force, theft, fraud, enforcement of contracts, and so on. He believes that more extensive state will violate people’s rights.
- Rights as Side Constraints: Nozick believes that individuals have inviolable rights that act as side constraints on the actions of others. These rights cannot be overridden for the sake of some greater good or social utility.
- Entitlement Theory of Justice: Nozick’s entitlement theory is consist of three important principles:
- Justice in Acquisition: How people first come to own common property.
- Justice in Transfer: How one person can acquire holdings from another, including voluntary exchange.
- Rectification of Injustice: How to deal with holdings that are unjustly acquired or transferred.
3.Critique of Distributive Justice: Nozick criticized theory of distributive justice mainly popularized by John Rawls that focus on patterned distributions. He argues that any patterned distribution will require constant interference in people’s lives to maintain, thus infringing on their rights.
4. Utopia: Nozick envisions a “meta-utopia” where individuals are free to form voluntary associations and communities, each with its own rules and lifestyle. This plurality allows for experimentation and diversity, accommodating different conceptions of the good life.
5. Against Coercive Redistribution: He argues against redistributive taxation – claiming that it amounts to forced labor, as it compels individuals to work for others’ benefit without their consent.
Nozick’s ideas are a significant part of his libertarian thought and he have influenced various ideas on the role of the state, individual rights, and the nature of justice. His emphasis on minimal state intervention and individual liberty stands in against to more interventionist and egalitarian theories of justice like given by John Rawls.
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References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Nozick
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/nozick-political