Anarchy, State, and Utopia
by Robert Nozick · first published 1974
33% recommend60% neutral7% critical
Why HN recommends it
Rigorous libertarian case for a minimal state, widely recommended as the main philosophical counter to Rawls's A Theory of Justice; suits readers who want to understand voluntary exchange and limits on state power.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Anarchy, State, and Utopia is a 1974 book by the American political philosopher Robert Nozick. It won the 1975 US National Book Award in category Philosophy and Religion, has been translated into 11 languages, and was named one of the "100 most influential books since the war" (1945–1995) by the UK Times Literary Supplement. In opposition to A Theory of Justice (1971) by John Rawls, and in debate with Michael Walzer,[3] Nozick argues in favor of a minimal state, "limited to the narrow functions of protection against force, theft, fraud, enforcement of contracts, and so on." When a s
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Nozick's 'Anarchy, State, and Utopia' and Hofstadter's 'Godel, Escher, and Bach' probably changed the way I think more than anything else. Nozick is like a less insane version of ayn rand ;-) I loved 'atlas shrugged' when I discovered it…
on “Books That Changed My Life” ↗…governments of the world surely outnumber private instances. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Panther_Party#Origins As for the philosophical underpinnings, there are quite a few good books: Nozick's Anarchy State and Utopia lays out a framework, he makes some deductions that result in a monarchist state -- but that is in no way guaranteed from his premises. David Friedman's Machinery of Freedom addresses this: http://www.daviddfriedman.com/Libertarian/Machinery_of_Freed...…
on “The freedom to drink coffee” ↗…redistribution system. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justice_as_Fairness:_A_Restate... Libertarians rightly believe this is incompatible with liberty, and thus reject this view. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarchy,_State,_and_Utopia On the whole, I love Nozick's argument but think ultimately anarchy is a utopian (unrealistic) end that ignores history and presupposes too much. Thus I lean Rawls.
on “America’s Shameful Human Rights Record (2012)” ↗The situation reminds me a bit of Robert Nozick's Anarchy, State, and Utopia. It's a great bit of political philosophy where he argues pretty convincingly that an anarchist society cannot exist for any appreciable length of time. Because the arrangement is fundamentally unstable,…
on “Bitcoin is a disaster” ↗…should be considered above the norms of civil society. By definition - if it didn't work that way, society would not be civil. (I'd highly recommend reading both A Theory of Justice by John Rawls and Anarchy, State and Utopia by Robert Nozick for two different but equally thoughtful treatments of this sort of thing.)
on “EFF's response to social media companies' decisions to block Trump’s accounts” ↗…economic redistribution policies is A Theory of Justice by John Rawls, a renowned professor of philosophy at Harvard. After reading Rawls, I'd suggest maybe reading Robert Nozick's libertarian leaning Anarchy, State, and Utopia. Nozick was another distinguished philosopher from Harvard writing about the same time as Rawls. Nozick comes to a completely different conclusion than Rawls. Both books are good and completely accessible…
on “Why Are the Highly Educated So Liberal?” ↗…want through voluntary interaction without force. If I want certain standards for a school or a doctor, I seek those out -- If I want to go to witch doctor that's ok too. I'd highly recommend Nozick's Anarchy, State, and Utopia if you're interested in this question.
on “Capitalism's Fundamental Flaw” ↗* Economics in One Lesson by Hazlitt * Man, Economy, and State by Rothbard * Road to Serfdom by Hayek * Capitalism and Freedom by Freedman * Anarchy, State, and Utopia by Nozick (politics/philosophy, but a great book) * What has the government done to our money by Rothbard (http://mises.org/money.asp)
on “Ask HN: Getting a grip on economics” ↗anarchy, state, and utopia: http://www.amazon.com/Anarchy-State-Utopia-Robert-Nozick/dp/... or, if you find yourself particularly liberal, a theory of justice: http://www.amazon.com/Theory-Justice-Original-John-Rawls/dp/... thank…
on “Ask HN: Can anyone recommend some philosophy reading?” ↗I would recommend all the works by Robert Nozick, listed at #14 on the list for "Anarchy, State and Utopia". While that might be his most influential book, I found his other books more fun to read.
on “Eminent Philosophers Name the Most Important Philosophy Books from 1950-2000” ↗…idea of intentionally systematically disadvantaging an entire class of people is, on its face, disgusting. There are plenty of other arguments against Rawls, but the primary ones are made by Nozick in Anarchy, State, and Utopia [1], and he can make them better than I can. Rawls is a brilliant philosopher, but his ideas are better left in the realm of thought experiment, and not in government. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrison_Bergeron [1]…
on “Google, Facebook spend big on U.S. lobbying amid policy battles” ↗…If you, or anyone else for that matter, is ever interested in at least understanding this sort of position I highly recommend Robert Nozick's work in response to John Rawls A Theory of Justice entitled Anarchy State and Utopia.
on “Bezos Calculator” ↗…poorly served by their education. Those who recommend books such as Das Kapital are either trolling the thread or historically ignorant of the death and destruction caused by Marxism. Try something like Anarchy, State, and Utopia by Nozick and quit being part of the granfalloon.
on “Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?” ↗Anarchy, State, and Utopia - Robert Nozick When you question competence of state, usefulness of bureaucracy, purpose of police, laws and basically dependence society on state.
on “Ask HN: Best books read in 2022” ↗Anarchy, State, and Utopia (1974) - Robert Nozick When you question competence of state, usefulness of bureaucracy, purpose of police, laws and basically dependence society on state.
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023” ↗