Robert Nozick

In 1974, Robert Nozick's book Anarchy, State, and Utopia moved libertarianism from a relatively neglected subset of political philosophy to the center of the discipline, as one of the most cogent critiques of social democracy and egalitarian liberalism. Nozick developed a rights-based account of libertarianism to show that a minimal state can legitimately arise, that nothing more than a minimal state is justified, and that the minimal state is not only morally right, but can also be an inspiring 'meta-utopia'. This volume presents Nozick's contributions to political philosophy in the context of his work in analytical philosophy. It also provides a biography of Nozick and considers the initial reception and long-term influence of his work.

Ralf M. Bader read Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the University of Oxford (St Edmund Hall), gaining a First Class degree. Having completed an MLitt in Philosophy with Distinction at the University of St Andrews, he is now working on his PhD at St Andrews and is currently a visiting researcher in the Philosophy Department at Stanford University.

Dr. John Meadowcroft is Senior Lecturer in Public Policy and Head of the Department of Political Economy at King's College London, UK. He is the author of The Ethics of the Market (2005) and co-author of Rescuing Social Capital from Social Democracy (2007).