Question

Explain Robert Nozick’s opinion on fairness. (in detail)

Answer 1

ROBERT NOZICK : He was an American political philosopher and a libertarian wrote the book " Anarchy State and Utopia which was published in 1974.

His opinion on Fairness:

The Robert Nozick advocated the "Justice as Fairness" which is regarded as a version of democratic social justice.

The Nozick seeks to justify the term minimal state against the individual anarchist. He was not in favor of more entensive state and the idea of extensive state as distributive justice. According to him the only justified approach was minimum state which does not violate the individual rights as the main functions of such state to protect the individual from force, theft, fraud and enforcement of any contracts.

He defined out two basic requirement for the state:

1. An appropriate monopoly force in a given territory.

2. The provision to be provided by state for protection within its geographic area or boundary.

As Per Nozick, The distribution of “holdings,” whether equal or unequal, is only if arises from a just distribution through the legitimate means.He advocated three principles for determining who is a legitimate owner of the property and resources; One legitimate means is the appropriation of something that is not owned in any circumstances in which the acquisition would not disadvantage any other. A second means is the transfer of ownership of holdings to someone else voluntarily. An another or third means is the correction of past injustices in the acquisition or transfer of holdings. According to him anyone who acquired what he has through these means is morally entitled to it. So the “entitlement” theory of justice states that the distribution of holdings in a society is just if (and only if) everyone in that society is entitled to what he has.

Under a certain solidarity state, There is only single way to attain the fairness is following the Nozick's approach is to endorse an egalitarian rule for the initial assignment of rights.

Nozick lays down the foundation of his idea of fairness which resolves around self ownership and he initial acquisition is what we acquire fairly and the use by the person who has right to use it.

Thus his theory of fairness is based on justice of voluntary ownership and also advocated that the taxes should be levied by state only on the property guarded by the state.

The Nozick approach was to distribute the property and wealth according to fair means and redistribute the wealth.

His approach has many arguments in favor as well as against also.