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Robert Nozick
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Anarchy, State, and Utopia Kindle Edition

by Robert Nozick (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 510 ratings
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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.
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  1. Print length
    386 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Basic Books
  5. Publication date
    November 12, 2013
  6. Grade level
    8 and up
  7. File size
    1070 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  11. See all details
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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

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

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B06XCF7RY1
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Basic Books (November 12, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 12, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1070 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 386 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 510 ratings

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Robert Nozick

Robert Nozick

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
510 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the content to be a good philosophical approach to what happened in the 1960s. Opinions are mixed on readability, with some finding it a very good read and concise, while others say it's difficult to appreciate.

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ContentStyleReadability
18 customers mention "Content"17 positive1 negative

Customers find the book's content good, interesting, and sensible. They also say it contains ingenious arguments and a very interesting political perspective. Customers also describe the utopia section as interesting.

"...and the narrative is not always easy to follow, but the conclusions are well thought out and compelling...." Read more

"...Nozick's book is an outstanding logical development, building a philosophical framework upon a presuppositional base of preeminence of individual..." Read more

"A very challenging work of philosophy...." Read more

"...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..." Read more

3 customers mention "Style"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the style elegant and difficult to argue with.

"...He advances a simple, elegant, and difficult-to-argue-with libertarianism, one that forms a foundation for libertarian thinking today...." Read more

"...It is bright and shiny and attractive...." Read more

"Lucid, insightful, and funny!..." Read more

34 customers mention "Readability"20 positive14 negative

Customers are mixed about the readability. Some find the book very good, engaging, and worth the effort. They also say the book is concise in its arguments. However, others say it's difficult to appreciate, comprehend, and the author's argument is too sketchy.

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

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

"...The reasoning is complex at times and the narrative is not always easy to follow, but the conclusions are well thought out and compelling...." Read more

"...He advances a simple, elegant, and difficult-to-argue-with libertarianism, one that forms a foundation for libertarian thinking today...." Read more

Book arrived with cover detached
1 Star
Book arrived with cover detached
I ordered the paperback version and the option I chose did not indicate that it would be a used copy. When the book arrived I realized that I got a used version that was worn to the point that cover came apart from the pages of the book. And what I assume was the glue that was binding them together, was like powder.
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Top reviews from the United States

Leo Heino
5.0 out of 5 stars Profound analysis on the role of state
Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2018
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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
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Drifty
5.0 out of 5 stars Nozick and Rawls. Deep Thinkers on opposite sides of American thought.
Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2009
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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.
20 people found this helpful
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Mr. E.
5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful and Ethical Political Philosophy
Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2017
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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
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Darien Sumner
4.0 out of 5 stars A classic
Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2015
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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
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Rishi Kumar
5.0 out of 5 stars Best read in conjunction with John Rawls' "A Theory of ...
Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2018
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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.
31 people found this helpful
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David L. Kendall
5.0 out of 5 stars What we all know is true, but do not necessarily know why.
Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2015
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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
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars but it doesn't waste words and is concise in its arguments
Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2017
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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
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars This is THE academic text on libertarianism
Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2021
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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.
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Top reviews from other countries

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JLF REYNOSO Ch.
5.0 out of 5 stars Desarrollo del tema
Reviewed in Mexico on June 1, 2021
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Puntual.
One person found this helpful
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Michael Schwinn
5.0 out of 5 stars Wie ein liberaler Staat und eine liberale Gesellschaft aussehn kann
Reviewed in Germany on March 18, 2022
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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.
3 people found this helpful
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Fabrizio S
5.0 out of 5 stars Un classico
Reviewed in Italy on November 26, 2021
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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.
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Fernando Vaz
3.0 out of 5 stars THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS OF THE STATE
Reviewed in Brazil on October 22, 2014
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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
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Alok
5.0 out of 5 stars All good except if you choose to order from PBC.
Reviewed in India on April 8, 2016
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Brilliant writer. Fascinating ideas. Compelling philosophy.
Just wouldn't purchase anything from PBC Distributors. Had a terrible experience.
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