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Anarchy, State, and Utopia Hardcover – November 17, 1974

by Robert Nozick (Author)

78 customer reviews

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Robert Nozick's Anarchy, State, and Utopia is a powerful, philosophical challenge to the most widely held political and social positions of our age -- liberal, socialist and conservative.

"Individuals have rights," Nozick writes in his opening sentence, "and there are things no person or group may do to them without violating their rights." The work that follows is a sophisticated and passionate defence of the rights of the individual as opposed to the state.

The author argues that the state is justified only when it is severely limited to the narrow function of protection against force, theft and fraud and to the enforcement of contracts. Any more extensive activities by the state, he demonstrates, will inevitably violate individual rights.

Among the many achievements of the work are an important new theory of distributive justice, a model of utopia, and an integration of ethics, legal philosophy and economic theory into a profound position in political philosophy which will be discussed for years to come.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"...This book is the best piece of sustained analytical argument in political philosophy to have appeared for a very long time." Mind "...complex, sophisticated and ingenious." Economist

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"...This book is the best piece of sustained analytical argument in political philosophy to have appeared for a very long time." Mind

"...complex, sophisticated and ingenious." Economist

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Product details

Hardcover: 367 pages
Publisher: Basic Books; First Edition edition (November 17, 1974)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0465002706
ISBN-13: 978-0465002702
Package Dimensions: 9.4 x 6 x 1.4 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
Average Customer Review: 78 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #266,844 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #74 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > Ideologies & Doctrines > Anarchism
- #284 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > Specific Topics > Political Freedom
- #862 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Political

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Customer Reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars

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Amazon Customer

but it doesn't waste words and is concise in its arguments

June 16, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Very interesting read for anyone interested in a very logic-chain based political science/philosophy argument. Keep in mind that it's very dense and takes a very close read to grasp, but it doesn't waste words and is concise in its arguments. The classic read for a libertarian.

2 people found this helpful

Best read in conjunction with John Rawls' "A Theory of ...

June 23, 2018

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Best read in conjunction with John Rawls' "A Theory of Justice," Nozick's book is a classic of political thought. He advances a simple, elegant, and difficult-to-argue-with libertarianism, one that forms a foundation for libertarian thinking today. Whether or not you agree with him, this is essential reading for anyone trying to understand libertarian philosophy today.

January 4, 2015

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Nozick's work has long been regarded as a staple of political philosophy, and with good reason. His prose is engaging, and his logic compelling. Nozick is an excellent and insightful critic of the state; between just the two of them, his Wilt Chamberlain and Tale of a Slave illustrations roundly demolish pretty much all arguments for a central state, but he goes into far more depth as well.

The final section -- Utopia -- is rather interesting, as Nozick takes a somewhat eclectic viewpoint, arguing that utopia is the journey and not the destination. He spends little time on existing utopian theory, instead pointing out (rightly) the flaws common to virtually all of it, and then discussing an alternative way of considering the idea.

Where Nozick is weakest is his treatment of the alleged necessity of the minimal state; despite thinking he has answered the objections of individualist anarchists, he has at best dodged them. He finishes his treatment of the subject with an entire chapter full of silly utilitarianism, theorising about means of maximising total utils without ever explaining what a util is or how one could possibly measure it, and declares the matter settled. Yet never does he explain what mechanism actually makes it okay to put a gun to somebody's head and extract revenue; perhaps that makes the utils come out.

Overall, this is a highly engaging book, and a must-read for any serious student of political philosophy.

7 people found this helpful

Kathleen A Baron

Lucid, insightful, and funny!

May 7, 2015

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Nozick explains in clear and insightful ways for a libertarian view that ennobles the individual, but at the same time maintaining an appropriate role for the state. He has many examples and unlike many philosophers, he is funny; there are examples and anecdotes that will make you laugh. Nozick is the best counter example to Rawls.

4 people found this helpful

David L. Kendall

What we all know is true, but do not necessarily know why.

January 17, 2015

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Nozick's book is difficult to read, but it is worth the effort. One does not read AS&U from front to back. One must read, reread, reflect, and reread again to understand the ideas offered. People who have not read and understood the ideas of Nozick and his colleague John Rawls really should not bother with writing about the political economy, for they have nothing useful or interesting to say.

One person found this helpful

June 5, 2018

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Important, even if, in the end, it is profoundly misguided.

An Excellent and Novel Application of Lockean Natural Right's Theory

February 17, 2015

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Robert Nozick's Anarchy State and Utopia attempts to provide three different arguments for two different conclusions. The first argument is that anarchy is an impossible system, and thus it is necessary (both morally and practically) to have at least a minimal state. The second argument is that there are no practical, moral, or positive reasons to institute provisions into a state more than a minimal state. The final argument is that a utopian world is one where individuals are free to decide the utopian model they prefer without external limitations prohibiting that decision (outside of those set within each particular small community that, if they did not exist, would fundamentally change the character of that particular community). I found both his arguments and conclusions convincing, and many of his views on the nature of rights I found compelling.
Still, his writing style can be difficult. He is an academic (a Harvard academic no less), and his chief concern is addressing other academics and people who would understand these academics. He does not go as far as Immanuel Kant in Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics and say that if you do not understand him that the subject is too advanced for you and you should give up on political philosophy. Nevertheless, it should be stated somewhere that if you cannot grasp his ideas, you need to read the source texts in order to gain that foundational knowledge. Of these foundational texts, John Rawls's A Theory of Justice may be the most important. I personally have only read excerpts. This made part 2, which addresses Rawls's book directly, significantly more difficult to appreciate.
The book receives four out of five stars because readability is crucially important. While most of his targeted audience would understand his prose, this does not mean that he could not attempt to make the writing more consumable by more people. Every writer must make it their mission to have the widest possible audience, and he did not.

2 people found this helpful

One of the strongest philosophical conceptions of distributive justice

April 27, 2008

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Nozick's argument for individual rights as a response to Rawls's "Theory of Justice" is very strong in many ways. although his acceptance of the Lockean proviso is a sticking point for many (and, Hampton would argue, for Nozick himself), His careful look at property rights shows some of the best political thinking in the 20th century.
Unlike the proverbial anarchist, he does see the state as necessary to securing the property rights he so vigorously defends.
I highly recommend this work to anyone wishing to better understand the philosophical argument for libertarianism. The writing and reasoning are clear and easy to follow.

To understand this work in the context of the other major theories of distributive justice, I also recommend reading Rawls's "Justice As Fairness: A Restatement", Hampton's "Political Philosophy", and Simmons's "Moral Priniciples and Political Obligations".

7 people found this helpful

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Most recent customer reviews

Libertarian, not anarchism.

Libertarian, not actual anarchy. Don't be fooled by the title.

Published 26 days ago

Amazon Customer

Published 9 months ago

Insightful and Ethical Political Philosophy

A very challenging work of philosophy. Not an easy read, but a very rewarding one; Robert Nozick clearly and exhaustively lays out the groundwork for a truly ethical and...Read more

Published 9 months ago

came in perfect condition! I love this book

came in perfect condition! I love this book! has some great pieces in it! look to reading the entire thing!

Published 10 months ago

Too difficult to follow.

This reads like an academic treatise. I gave it to a friend whose degree is in philosophy, and he's having trouble following it.Read more

Published 11 months ago

LibertarianismsareCool

Robert Nozick thought too much of anarchy and not enough about Utopia

Too much anarchy always leads to too much government...the problem is, a state is a natural growth of economics...Read more

Published 1 year ago

Clifton Wayne Knox

Absolutely brilliant!

Nozik's Entitlement Theory is one of the most important libertarian theories of ownership and distributive justice ever formulated.Read more

Published 1 year ago

Not quite what I expected, but it was a very good read.

Published 1 year ago

great refreshing tonic after reading Rawls fantasy

Published 1 year ago

Paul E CriderTop Contributor: Philosophy

One of the best things about him is how he is fairly up ...

Nozick is very clever and a pleasure to read. One of the best things about him is how he is fairly up front with the weak points of his theory.Read more

Published 1 year ago

English United States

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