Robert Nozick (Philosophy Now)

Description:
Although best known for the hugely influential 'Anarchy, State, and Utopia' (1974), Robert Nozick has eschewed the label 'political philosopher', as the vast majority of his writings have focused on other areas. Indeed, the breadth of Nozick's work is perhaps greater than that of any other contemporary philosopher. A. R. Lacey presents the first book to give full and proper discussion of Nozick's philosophy as a whole and of critical reactions to it, spanning areas as diverse as ethics, epistemology, and philosophy of religion. This book begins by examining 'Anarchy, State, and Utopia' and moves on to Nozick's noted work on the theory of knowledge and his notion of 'tracking the truth'. Lacey explores the philosopher's metaphysical writings, including his 'closest continuer theory' of personal identity, and his reflections on free will and the existence of God. He addresses the moral basis of Nozick's political philosophy in depth. Later chapters discuss his ideas of 'symbolic utility', his evolutionary account of rationality, and his varying treatments of Newcomb's Paradox. This book concludes with more general topics, including Nozick's thoughts on the meaning of life and what those who search for it are really looking for. Given Nozick's reluctance to respond to his critics, this book's discussion of the secondary literature on his work is invaluable. Throughout, Lacey finds themes that unite Nozick's diverse writings, noting, for example, his hostility to coercion of all kinds. Illuminating, informative, and clearly written, this book will be welcomed as an authoritative guide to Nozick's philosophical thinking.

Review:
[A] commendably concise overview of Nozick's philosophical writings... [It] represents an attempt to summarize the main arguments advanced by Nozick throughout his philosophical career, while also discussing the major criticisms those arguments have received. Given the breadth of Nozick' academic interests, this represents a formidable undertaking; Lacey, however, rises admirably to the task, moving smoothly and knowledgeably between topics as diverse a the moral basis of the state, the metaphysics of personal identity, and spiritual approaches to the meaning of life. This is a well-written book. -- Jonathan Crowe, Policy

Table of Contents:
Preface Vii Chapter 1: Introduction 1 Introduction: analytic philosophy, 1 Changes of interest, 5 Nozick's change of approach: proof and explanation, 6 Coercion, 8 Explanation and understanding, 12 Truth and the aim of philosophy, 14 The unity of Nozick's philosophy, 17 Summary, 19 Chapter 2: Anarchy, State, and Utopia: the moral basis 20 Introduction, 20 The role of the individual, 23 The basis of rights, 25 Animals and angels, 28 Welfarist criticisms of Nozick, 30 Libertarian criticisms of Nozick, 32 The nature of rights, 34 The theory of justice 1: justice in transfer, 37 Blurring the distinction, 40 The theory of justice 11: justice in acquisition and Locke's proviso, 42 The theory of justice 111: rectification and compensation, 44 Nozick on Rawls, 48 Summary, 50 Chapter 3: Anarchy, State, and Utopia: the political outcome 52 Introduction, 52 Explaining and justifying: the program, 54 The execution 1: the state of nature, 57 The execution 11: growth of the state, 59 Practical objections, 60 Objections of principle 1: transitivity and compensation, 62 Objections of principle 11: procedural rights and incomplete knowledge, 65 Utopia l: the framework, 66 Utopia II: objections, 68 Summary, 71 Chapter 4: The later ethics and politics 73 Introduction, 73 Ethics and motivation, 74 Value as organic unity, 78 Value and disvalue, 81 Organic unity as value, 82 Some criticisms, 83 The basis of value, 85 The ethical pull, 88 Deontology and teleology: rights, 89 The islought question, 92 Political implications: symbolic utility, 95 Summary, 98 Chapter 5: Epistemology 100 Introduction: internalism and externalism, 100 Outline of Nozick's theory, 102 Counterfactuals, 104 Scepticism and closure, 108 The price that Nozick pays, 111 Some criticisms of Nozich, 114 Internalism and externalism again, 122 Evidence, 125 Summary, 130 Chapter 6: Rationality 133 Introduction: rationality in general, 133 Principles and their uses, 135 Practical rationality in the dissertation, 140 Decision theory 1: the first two discussions, 142 Decision theory 11: the third discussion, 146 Decision theory 111: symbolic utility again, 149 Belief and acceptance, 151 Evolution and its role, 153 Types and limits of rationality, 156 Summary, 158 Chapter 7: Metaphysics I: personal identity 160 Introduction: identity in general, 160 Nozick's theory, 161 Personal identity 1: general considerations, 163 Personal identity 11: ties and caring, 166 Personal identity 111: closeness, 168 Interlude: the unity of Nozieh's philosophy, 170 Personal identity IV: the nature of the self, 172 Summary, 175 Chapter 8: Metaphysics II: explaining existence 177 Introduction: 'Why is there something rather than nothing?'; 177 Nozick's approach, 178 Fecundity, 181 Self-subsumption, 182 Limited fecundity, 183 Wedin's criticisms, 185 Summary, 186 Chapter 9: Metaphysics III: free will and retribution 188 Introduction, 188 The indeterministic approach, 189 Tracking again, 191 Retribution, 193 Summary, 197 Chapter 10: The meaning of life 199 Introduction: conditions for meaningfulness, 199 Ein Sof and its problems, 201 Self-subsumption again, 203 The dialectic of meaning and value, 205 Conclusion: philosophy and the arts and sciences, 206 Summary, 208 Guide to further reading 209 Bibliography 221 Index 235