Nozick's Entitlement Theory

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that the meaning of the concept of distributive justice, which guarantees that everyone is supplied with a certain level of material means, can be interpreted based on different philosophies. The author examines Robert Nozick's libertarian three-part entitlement theory and then compares with John Rawls' difference principle. The paper concludes by demonstrating why Nozick's theory fails the test of moral justification.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Distributive Justice
Literature Review
Robert Nozick
Comparing Nozick with Rawls
Nozick / Libertarianism
Nozick / Libertarianism II
Kantians
John Locke
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Like John Locke, Nozick basically believed that an individual has the right to: one, own what he makes; and two, to "appropriate [i.e., take] anything not already owned" with the proviso that in appropriating [taking possession of] the item that person leaves enough for others and certainly leaves them "no worse off" for having appropriated the item. And further, Nozick wrote that in appropriating the item (distributive justice in action) that act does not leave the other person in a lesser position in terms of being able to appropriate something he or she desires."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Fleishchaker, Samuel. (2005). A Short History of Distributive Justice. Choice Magazine, Harvard University. Retrieved March 10, 2008, from http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog/FLESHO.html.
• Kilcullen, John. (1996). Robert Nozick: Against Distributive Justice. Modern Political Theory Retrieved March 9, 2008, from http://www.humanities.ma.edu.au.
• Nussbaum, Martha. (2001). The Enduring Significance of John Rawls. The Chronicle. Retrieved March 11, 2008, from http://chronicle.com.
• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (2006). Distributive Justice. Retrieved March 10, 2008, from http://plato.stanford.edu.
• The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. John Locke (1632-1704). Accessed 10 March.2008 from http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/l/locke.htm.

More papers on Nozick's Entitlement Theory:

• Essay # 16725 : "Nozick's "Anarchy, State, and Utopia"
• Comparison Essay # 117255 : "John Rawls and Robert Nozick"

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