Robert Nozick

Robert Nozicks Anarchy, State and Utopia is one of the works which dominates contemporary debate in political philosophy. Drawing on traditional assumptions associated with individualism and libertarianism, Nozick mounts a powerful argument for a minimal `nightwatchman state and challenges the views of many contemporary philosophers, most notably John Rawls. Jonathan Wolffs new book is the first full-length study of Nozicks work and of the debates to which it has given rise. He situates Nozicks work in the context of current debates and examines the traditions which have influenced his thought. He then critically reconstructs the key arguments of Anarchy, State and Utopia, focusing on Nozicks Doctrine of Rights, his Derivation of the Minimal State, and his Entitlement Theory of Justice. The book concludes by assessing Nozicks place in contemporary political philosophy.