This introductory volume is devoted to Robert Nozick, one of the dominant philosophical thinkers of the current age. Nozick's famous book, Anarchy, State and Utopia (1974), presents the classic defense of the libertarian view that only a minimal state is just. He has made significant contributions to such areas as rational choice theory, ethics, epistemology and philosophy of mind. In addition to philosophers, the book will be of particular interest to professionals and students in political science, law, economics, sociology and psychology. David Schmidtz taught at Yale University and Bowling Green State University before joining the University of Arizona, where he is Professor of Philosophy and joint Professor of Economics. His previous books include Environmental Ethics (Oxford), Social Welfare and Individual Responsibility (Cambridge, 1998) and Rational Choice and Moral Agency (Princeton). He lives in Tucson, Arizona.
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"Together, the essays collected in this volume provide a fine tribute to one of the most wide-ranging and imaginative philosophers of our age." The Philosophical Review
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This is an introductory volume to Robert Nozick, one of the dominant philosophical thinkers of the current age, in a new series, Contemporary Philosophy in Focus.Nozick's famous book, Anarchy, State and Utopia (1974), presents the classic defense of the libertarian view that only a minimal state is just. Nozick has also made significant contributions to such areas as rational choice theory, ethics, epistemology and philosophy of mind.Outside philosophy the book will be of particular interest to professionals and students in political science, law, economics, sociology and psychology.
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12 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
a pretty random collection of essays,
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This review is from: Robert Nozick (Contemporary Philosophy in Focus) (Paperback)
The first thing you should realize about this book is that it is not a systematic introduction or explanation of Nozick - it is merely a collection of about 8 articles interpreting and criticizing fairly narrow areas of Nozick's thought.
The introduction or first chatper (don't remember which) provides a pretty good five page summary of Nozick's Anarchy, State and Utopia but the rest of the book is pretty worthless, pretty much like the journal articles you might expect to find if you searched for Nozick articles on JSTOR or EbscoHost or another online journal program. If you can read the first chapter in a bookstore go for it, otherwise you are probably wasting your time and money.
1 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Honest and Sincere Thoughts Rather than Analytical Theory; but only modest profundity; re-rated to only 3 stars,
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This review is from: Robert Nozick (Contemporary Philosophy in Focus) (Paperback)
You need not know Nozick's work to get something out of this book. The keywords are Honest and Sincere Musings on issues as Nozick proclaimed of himself. Most of the various authors in this anthology do the same: give genuine and sincere thoughts rather than formal analytic theory. Whether or not they are doing so to follow Nozick's example or whether or not they are musing on Nozick or his ideas or instead musing on their own ideas, these authors mostly come up with insights free of artifice. In redoing my review here (July 2006) I decided the book should only have 3 stars though. Put into context of more profound readings I have been doing, 3 stars is where this book ranks. Still, you can't go wrong buying this book if you're in the mood for a more relaxed, but still philosophical, bout of reading. For more profundity go elsewhere. If you like, use the Amazon feature to see all my reviews.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
Robert Nozick's brilliance is nowhere more apparent that in the way he introduces his books. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
originatory value, tracking bestness, mutual justifiability, originative value, symbolic rationality, cobbler person, dominant protective agency, philosophical persona, libertarian utopia, unowned resources, prepolitical state, skeptical hypotheses, invisible hand explanation, dominant agency, abstract scenarios, vicarious achievement, symbolic utility, libertarian model, minimal state, deterministic world, opaque box, examined life, skeptical possibilities, skeptical worlds, personal tradition Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Robert Nozick, Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, Harvard University Press, David Schmidtz, The Nature of Rationality, Alpha Centauri, Clarendon Press, Noninterference Principle, Philosophical Explanations, Princeton University Press, Loren Lomasky, Socratic Puzzles, Harry Frankfurt, John Locke, Gary Watson, Jan Narveson, Jeremy Waldron, Oscar Wilde, Temporally Extended Agency, Basic Books, Bowling Green State University, French Verificationism, Philosophical Studies New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Robert Nozick's brilliance is nowhere more apparent that in the way he introduces his books. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
originatory value, tracking bestness, mutual justifiability, originative value, symbolic rationality, cobbler person, dominant protective agency, philosophical persona, libertarian utopia, unowned resources, prepolitical state, skeptical hypotheses, invisible hand explanation, dominant agency, abstract scenarios, vicarious achievement, symbolic utility, libertarian model, minimal state, deterministic world, opaque box, examined life, skeptical possibilities, skeptical worlds, personal tradition Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Robert Nozick, Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, Harvard University Press, David Schmidtz, The Nature of Rationality, Alpha Centauri, Clarendon Press, Noninterference Principle, Philosophical Explanations, Princeton University Press, Loren Lomasky, Socratic Puzzles, Harry Frankfurt, John Locke, Gary Watson, Jan Narveson, Jeremy Waldron, Oscar Wilde, Temporally Extended Agency, Basic Books, Bowling Green State University, French Verificationism, Philosophical Studies New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 100
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27
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- The Examined Life: Philosophical Meditations by Robert Nozick on 24 pages
- Anarchy, State, and Utopia by Robert Nozick on 18 pages
- The Nature of Rationality by Robert Nozick on 12 pages
- Philosophical Explanations by Robert Nozick on 8 pages
- Socratic Puzzles by Robert Nozick on 6 pages
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- Should Differences in Income and Wealth Matter?: Volume 19, Part 1 (Social Philosophy and Policy) (v. 19) by Ellen Frankel Paul on 4 pages
- The Elements of Justice by David Schmidtz in Front Matter, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Private Dwelling: Contemplating the Use of Housing (Housing, Planning and Design Series) by Peter King on page 18, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Freedom Reclaimed: Rediscovering the American Vision by John E. Schwarz in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Justification and Legitimacy: Essays on Rights and Obligations by A. John Simmons on page 126, and page 127
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