Author Archives: F. E. Guerra-Pujol

Nozick devotes the next subsection of Chapter 8 (pp. 235-238) to attacking the concept of equality of opportunity. But before we proceed any further, I must make a confession. Although I agree 99% with Nozick’s criticism of equality of outcomes, … Continue reading →

Nozick begins Chapter 8 by addressing the issue of income inequality and by pointing out an embarrassing gap in the scholarly and popular literature on this subject. According to Nozick, scholars who defend equality as a desirable normative goal are … Continue reading →

After defending his entitlement theory of justice and engaging in intellectual combat with John Rawls in Chapter 7 of Anarchy, State, and Utopia (ASU), Nozick will explore other theories of equality in Chapter 8. But before we jump into this … Continue reading →

We will proceed with Chapter 8 of ASU on Monday. In the meantime:

In boxing, a knockout is any legal strike or combination thereof that renders an opponent unable to continue fighting. Keep this definition in mind, for Nozick will deliver the closest thing to a knockout by the end of Chapter 7 … Continue reading →

In the next subsection of Chapter 7 of ASU (“Macro and Micro” on pp. 204-213), Nozick compares and contrasts his own historical or “entitlement theory” of justice with Rawls’s theory along various dimensions. By way of comparison, both theories specify … Continue reading →

We have re-imagined Nozick’s extended review of Rawls in the second part of Chapter 7 of ASU as an intellectual bout involving a series of rounds. We scored Round 1 for Rawls and Round 2 a draw. What about round … Continue reading →

Thus far, Nozick has considered two possible extremes: an individualistic or Hobbesian society in which persons do not cooperate with each other (no cooperation), and a Rousseauian or Panglossian society in which everyone cooperates for the greater good (general cooperation). … Continue reading →

Nozick begins Section 2 of Chapter 7 by presenting John Rawls’s influential theory of distributive justice. (If you are not familiar with Rawls’s work or need a refresher, check out this summary here, via Larry Solum’s Legal Theory Blog.) By … Continue reading →

Let’s pick up where we left off: Section 2 of Chapter 7 of Anarchy, State, and Utopia (ASU), which contains nine separate subsections as follows: Rawls’ Theory (p. 183) Social Cooperation (pp. 183-189) Terms of Cooperation and the Difference Principle … Continue reading →