Rawls Under the Scrutiny of Nozick

Abstract

In 1971 John Rawls published A Theory of Justice (TJ) in which he expounds what is today one of the most debated theories of social justice. Just three years later, partially in response to Rawls' work, Robert Nozick explained his own views in Anarchy, State, and Utopia (ASU). I ASU, Nozick goes to some lengths to demonstrate weaknesses in Rawls' argument and strengths in his own. This paper will examine three of Nozick's criticisms, their weight, and analyses of Rawls' theory which serve to rebut them. The Nozickian criticisms which have been selected for discussion represent three aspects of TJ. The first relates to the question of distributive justice and will be characterized as economic. The second criticism examines the formulation of Rawls' theory and will be referred to as the historical/end-state dilemma. The final debate centers on the proper grounds of co-operation between the individual and society. [From introductory section]