Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime and start saving today with fast, free delivery

eTextbook
$14.99

Available instantly

Audiobook
$0.00
with membership trial

Hardcover
$54.56

Paperback
$19.99

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns

FREE delivery Tuesday, April 16 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35

Select delivery location

In Stock

$$19.99 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Ships from

Amazon.com

Ships from

Amazon.com

Sold by

Amazon.com

Sold by

Amazon.com

Returns

Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt

Returns

Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt

This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.

Read full return policy

Payment

Secure transaction

Payment

Secure transaction

We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more

Details

Add a gift receipt for easy returns

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime

FREE delivery Monday, April 15 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35. Order within 43 mins

Select delivery location

Used: Good | Details

Sold by thebookbunny72

Fulfilled by Amazon

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

Other Sellers on Amazon

Added

Not added

$19.95
& FREE Shipping

Sold by: PARK TRADE

Follow the author

Robert Nozick

Follow

Anarchy, State, and Utopia Paperback – November 12, 2013

by Robert Nozick (Author)

508

See all formats and editions

National Book AwardWinner, 1975

{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$19.99","priceAmount":19.99,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"19","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"99","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"S1xooS%2FAeJAAlz%2BVS9xJ9NbOyfk2U8SWR5uoLKmeFXahi8e3U%2FukIHe%2Bo%2BPQw1lvHeaG6XNFkx21E3Fi4k1FwNnMgW%2BUn0TGks1JIwm4WBWXIFSI5W2tx4FAiWMYxu4S7vF1huiRlYs%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$16.28","priceAmount":16.28,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"16","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"28","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"S1xooS%2FAeJAAlz%2BVS9xJ9NbOyfk2U8SW3w6HFZLR4kJMc0cAMooDEyj8gL8MVwWRTgIkiLn1Acj%2F0TRzdrv%2Fj%2FeLiXjE5ENS2q1l4bPqOJ9n82fRDtcHXo6Jyn%2Fplo7QIj%2B10Zyb8qllj4KCllzeQhCJ4ynMzwDdOZh6Ygp4yHpB0o20EWeb%2FHPOgnOtmzBx","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

The foundational text of libertarian thought, named one of the 100 Most Influential Books since World War II (Times Literary Supplement)

First published in response to John Rawls' A Theory of Justice, Robert Nozick's Anarchy, State, and Utopia has since become one of the defining texts in classic libertarian thought. Challenging and ultimately rejecting liberal, socialist, and conservative agendas, Nozick boldly asserts that the rights of individuals are violated as a state's responsibilities increase—and the only way to avoid these violations rests in the creation of a minimalist state limited to protection against force, fraud, theft, and the enforcement of contracts.

Winner of the 1975 National Book Award, Anarchy, State and Utopia remains one of the most philosophically rich defenses of economic liberalism to date. With a new foreword by Thomas Nagel, this revised edition introduces Nozick and his work to a new generation of readers.

Print length

400 pages
Language

English
Publication date

November 12, 2013
Grade level

11 and up
Reading age

13 years and up
Dimensions

5.5 x 1 x 8.25 inches
ISBN-10

0465051006
ISBN-13

978-0465051007
Lexile measure

1390L
See all details

Frequently bought together

$19.99

Get it as soon as Tuesday, Apr 16

In Stock

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

+

$32.15

Get it as soon as Thursday, Apr 18

Only 1 left in stock - order soon.

Sold by Pearlzone and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.

Total price:

To see our price, add these items to your cart.

Try again!

Details

Added to Cart

One of these items ships sooner than the other.

Show details Hide details

Choose items to buy together.

John Rawls
220
Paperback
52 offers from $9.80
Charles Murray
221
Paperback
9 offers from $10.07
F. A. Hayek
2,886
Paperback
252 offers from $2.09
John Rawls
111
Paperback
79 offers from $4.74
Thomas Hobbes
458
Paperback
76 offers from $6.48
David Boaz
425
Hardcover
1 offer from $21.62

From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A major event in contemporary political philosophy...[Nozick] is always stimulating; an open-minded study of what he has to say could be a healthy tonic for romantic leftists."―Peter Singer, New York Review of Books

"[Nozick's] critique of America's social welfare system...continues to define the debate between conservatives and liberals."―Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, New York Times

"[S]imply and elegantly written, with charm and wit...brilliantly reasoned and contrary."

―Washington Post

"No contemporary philosopher possesses a more imaginative mind, broader interests, or greater dialectical abilities than Robert Nozick."―Harper's

"Complex, sophisticated and ingenious."―The Economist

"[Nozick's] powers of argument are profound, and his insights are at times staggering in their brilliance."―New Republic

"[Nozick is] one of the 20th century's greatest political theorists."―The Guardian

"[A] powerful critique of the Left-liberal moral philosophy that underpinned the welfare state...a kind of libertarian manifesto."―Telegraph (UK)

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

"[Nozick's] faculties of reasoning and imagination are rare; his learning is enormous and interconnected...His ability to surround a subject, to anticipate objections, to see through weakness and pretense, to extract all the implications of a contention, to ask a huge number of relevant questions about a seemingly settled matter, to enlarge into full significance what has only been sketched by others, is amazing."―George Kateb

"A brilliant and important book, bound to contribute notably both to theory and, in time, to the good of society."―W. V. Quine, Harvard University

About the Author

Robert Nozick (1938-2002) was the Arthur Kingsley Porter Professor of Philosophy at Harvard University. The author of numerous books including The Examined Life and Philosophical Explanations, Nozick was the recipient of the National Book Award for Anarchy, State, and Utopia.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Basic Books; Reprint edition (November 12, 2013)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0465051006
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0465051007
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 13 years and up
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1390L
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 11 and up
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1 x 8.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #41,641 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #60 in Political Philosophy (Books)
- #93 in History & Theory of Politics
- #122 in Political Conservatism & Liberalism

Customer Reviews:
508

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Robert Nozick

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5

508 global ratings

How customer reviews and ratings work

Reviews with images

See all photos

Sort reviews by

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Leo Heino

Profound analysis on the role of state

Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2018

Verified Purchase

Excellent analysis on the morally appropriate organization of a state from many angles. The reasoning is complex at times and the narrative is not always easy to follow, but the conclusions are well thought out and compelling.

Definitely recommended for everyone interested in political philosophy no matter what your current opinions are on the subject. The book is not just presenting one “truth”, but explores a number of alternative views with a conclusion well grounded in the arguments presented. I don’t think you need to agree with the author’s conclusions, at least I enjoyed and was impressed by the quality of the argumentation as such.

8 people found this helpful

Helpful

Drifty

Nozick and Rawls. Deep Thinkers on opposite sides of American thought.

Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2009

Verified Purchase

You can get a wonderful overview of the book on Wikipedia. So, rather than try to provide such an overview here, let me offer a few comments on what reading along these lines has meant to me.

Nozick's book is an outstanding logical development, building a philosophical framework upon a presuppositional base of preeminence of individual rights. I've read it cover-to-cover with interest and profit. This book provides an intellectual base to the school of Libertarianism that so attracts people in Ayn Rand's prose. Notably, I have read late-in-life interviews with Nozick in which he said that he became less libertarian as he got older.

This book really should be read in conjunction with John Rawls' "A Theory of Justice," which I have not yet finished cover-to-cover due to its length and unavailability as an audiobook. After reading the most famous parts in Rawls book, I did finish a few good summaries and commentaries on the "Theory of Justice." Rawls and Nozick were contemporaries in the Philosophy Department at Harvard, and are leading minds on the left and right, respectively, of the American philosophical spectrum.

The Nozick logic leads to a world of perfect individual rights. In this world, charity becomes dependent on the free will of individuals who choose to grant charity. In this world, the more harsh aspects of Social Darwinism become morally permissible. However, the economist's problem of Moral Hazard (the freeloader problem) is completely solved. One who holds individual rights to be preeminent sees this Nozick system as perfectly satisfying the Golden Rule (aka principle of reciprocity), because at the formation of the social contract, all agree to accept individual rights as preeminent, thus "doing unto others as we would have them do to us."

The Rawls logic stems from applying the Golden Rule prior to developing the social contract behind a "veil of ignorance," in which founders/citizens do not yet know the circumstances and advantages of their birth. While complete individual rights may have been present while drawing up the social contract "behind the veil of ignorance," once out in society a measure of compassion and charity becomes almost obligatory, due to agreements made behind the veil of ignorance. In this world, the more harsh aspects of Social Darwinism will not be allowed by the social contract. However, this world is more susceptible to economist's problem of Moral Hazard (the freeloader problem) than Nozick's world.

Interestingly, both the Nozick and Rawls approach can be reconciled with both the Golden Rule and Kant's Categorical Imperative, as can Ayn Rand's thesis (and I've read papers by philosopher graduate students and Ph.D graduates doing so).

My bottom line? If men and women were gods and goddesses, either of these systems could make a happy world. The problem is that we are not.

18 people found this helpful

Helpful

Mr. E.

Insightful and Ethical Political Philosophy

Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2017

Verified Purchase

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 consistent analysis of politics and government. The book arrived promptly and was exactly as advertised. Excellent service.

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Darien Sumner

A classic

Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2015

Verified 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.

27 people found this helpful

Helpful

Rishi Kumar

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

Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2018

Verified 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.

32 people found this helpful

Helpful

David L. Kendall

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

Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2015

Verified 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.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Amazon Customer

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

Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2017

Verified 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.

15 people found this helpful

Helpful

Kindle Customer

This is THE academic text on libertarianism

Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2021

Verified Purchase

I was introduced to Nozick's libertarianism in a college introduction to philosophy course. I found libertarianism to be a very interesting political perspective. I wish this was sold as a pdf though.

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English

JLF REYNOSO Ch.

Desarrollo del tema

Reviewed in Mexico on June 1, 2021

Verified Purchase

Puntual.

One person found this helpful

Translate review to English

Michael Schwinn

Wie ein liberaler Staat und eine liberale Gesellschaft aussehn kann

Reviewed in Germany on March 18, 2022

Verified Purchase

Sehr gut erlätert, wie ein liberaler Staat und eine liberale Gesellschaft aussehen kann. Grundrechte des Individuums sthen im Mittelpunkt. rechte des Staates können nur abgeleitet sein.

2 people found this helpful

Translate review to English

Fabrizio S

Un classico

Reviewed in Italy on November 26, 2021

Verified Purchase

Tanti gli spunti brillanti, nonostante gli anni passati.
E, prima ancora degli spunti, quel che resta (e sempre resterà) del libro è il suo valore letterario.

Translate review to English

Fernando Vaz

THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS OF THE STATE

Reviewed in Brazil on October 22, 2014

Verified Purchase

If you want to discuss the theoretical foundations of the state, it is a good book. The reading will be more fruitful for readers who have already read the classical texts on social contract (Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau). It will be perfect for readers who had read Theory of Justice by John Rawls.

One person found this helpful

Alok

All good except if you choose to order from PBC.

Reviewed in India on April 8, 2016

Verified Purchase

Brilliant writer. Fascinating ideas. Compelling philosophy.
Just wouldn't purchase anything from PBC Distributors. Had a terrible experience.

See more reviews

Return this item for free

Other Sellers on Amazon

Image Unavailable

Follow the author

Anarchy, State, and Utopia Paperback – November 12, 2013

Purchase options and add-ons

Frequently bought together

Similar items that may ship from close to you

From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

Review

About the Author

Product details

Videos

About the author

Robert Nozick

Customer reviews

Reviews with images

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Prime includes:

Buy new: $19.99$19.99 FREE delivery: Tuesday, April 16 on orders over $35.00 shipped by Amazon. Ships from: Amazon.com Sold by: Amazon.com

Buy used: $16.28

Other Sellers on Amazon

Follow the author

Anarchy, State, and Utopia Paperback – November 12, 2013

Purchase options and add-ons

Frequently bought together

Similar items that may ship from close to you

From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

Review

About the Author

Product details

Videos

About the author

Robert Nozick

Customer reviews

Reviews with images

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries

Buy new:

$19.99

FREE delivery: Tuesday, April 16 on orders over $35.00 shipped by Amazon.

Ships from: Amazon.com

Sold by: Amazon.com

Buy used:

$16.28