John Rawls vs Robert Nozick
Rawls and Nozick are the two most influential political philosophers of late-twentieth-century English-language philosophy. Rawls's A Theory of Justice (1971) and Nozick's Anarchy, State, and Utopia (1974) defined the dispute between liberal egalitarianism and libertarian rights theory.
At a glance
| John Rawls | Robert Nozick | |
|---|---|---|
| Dates | 1921 – 2002 | 1938 – 2002 |
| Nationality | American | American |
| Era | Contemporary | Contemporary |
| Movements | Political Philosophy, Analytic Philosophy, Social Contract | Analytic Philosophy, Political Philosophy |
| Profile | John Rawls → | Robert Nozick → |
Where they agree
Both held that political philosophy should be done in the analytic style — by patient construction and refutation of arguments — rather than as continental social theory or political polemic. Both worked from broadly Lockean premises about rights and the value of individual liberty, and both wrote against the utilitarian tradition that had dominated mid-century Anglo-American political thought.
Where they disagree
Rawls's theory of justice as fairness derives principles of distribution from the choices rational agents would make behind a veil of ignorance: equal basic liberties for all, and inequalities permitted only when they benefit the least well-off. Nozick's entitlement theory holds that just holdings are those acquired through legitimate transfer or original acquisition, and that any redistribution beyond rectifying violations is a violation of individual rights. Where Rawls authorizes substantial redistributive taxation in the name of justice, Nozick argues that taxation of earnings from labor is on a par with forced labor, and that only a minimal night-watchman state is justifiable.
Representative quotes
John Rawls
-
“The principles of justice are chosen behind a veil of ignorance.”
Chapter I, Section 3, pg. 12 -
“Each person is to have an equal right to the most extensive basic liberty compatible with a similar liberty for others.”
Chapter II, Section 11, pg. 60 -
“Social and economic inequalities are to be arranged so that they are both reasonably expected to be to everyone's advantage, and attached to positions and offices open to all.”
Chapter II, Section 11, pg. 60
Robert Nozick
-
“Whatever arises from a just situation by just steps is itself just.”
Ch. 7 : Distributive Justice, Section I, The Entitlement Theory, p. 151 -
“The minimal state is the most extensive state that can be justified.”
Preface, p. ix -
“There is no social entity with a good that undergoes some sacrifice for its own good. There are only individual people, with their own individual lives.”
Ch. 3 : Moral Constraints and the State; Why Side Constraints?, p. 32
Continue reading
- Full profile: John Rawls
- Full profile: Robert Nozick
- Shared movements: Political Philosophy, Analytic Philosophy
- Browse all philosopher comparisons