Episode #138 ... Robert Nozick - The Minimal State

In 'Anarchy, State, and Utopia', Robert Nozick presents a rigorous argument in favor of a minimal state, limited to the narrow functions of protection against force, theft, fraud, and the enforcement of contracts. He critiques more extensive state activities as violations of individual rights and argues against more extreme views such as anarcho-capitalism. Nozick's work is influenced by John Locke, Immanuel Kant, and Friedrich Hayek, and it includes a theory of rights, a critique of John Rawls' 'A Theory of Justice', and a model of utopia. The book is a foundational text of libertarian thought and has been widely acclaimed for its philosophical richness and analytical argumentation[1][2][5].

In 'A Theory of Justice,' John Rawls develops a moral theory of justice as fairness, which is an alternative to utilitarianism. The theory is based on the social contract approach and uses the concept of the original position and the veil of ignorance to derive two principles of justice. The first principle, the greatest equal liberty principle, ensures that each person has an equal right to the most extensive total system of equal basic liberties compatible with a similar system of liberty for all. The second principle, which includes the difference principle and the equal opportunity principle, states that social and economic inequalities are to be arranged so that they are to the greatest benefit of the least advantaged and attached to offices and positions open to all under conditions of fair equality of opportunity. Rawls's theory aims to reconcile liberty and equality in a well-ordered society.