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Single Idea 18644

[filed under theme 24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 6. Liberalism / c. Liberal equality ]

Full Idea

A state may not use its coercive apparatus for the purposes of getting some citizens to aid others, or in order to prohibit activities to people for their own good or protection.

Gist of Idea

States can't enforce mutual aid on citizens, or interfere for their own good

Source

Robert Nozick (Anarchy,State, and Utopia [1974], Pref)

Book Ref

Nozick,Robert: 'Anarchy,State, and Utopia' [Blackwell 1980], p.-8

A Reaction

You certainly can't apply these principles to children, so becoming an 'adult' seems to be a very profound step in Nozick's account. At what age must we stop interfering with people for their own good. If the state is prohibited, are neighbours also?

The 22 ideas from Robert Nozick

18648 Freedom to live according to our own conception of the good is the ultimate value [Nozick, by Kymlicka]
20539 Property is legitimate by initial acquisition, voluntary transfer, or rectification of injustice [Nozick, by Swift]
18645 Nozick assumes initial holdings include property rights, but we can challenge that [Kymlicka on Nozick]
18646 How did the private property get started? If violence was involved, we can redistribute it [Kymlicka on Nozick]
18647 If property is only initially acquired by denying the rights of others, Nozick can't get started [Kymlicka on Nozick]
18641 If people hold things legitimately, just distribution is simply the result of free exchanges [Nozick, by Kymlicka]
18643 A minimal state should protect, but a state forcing us to do more is unjustified [Nozick]
18642 Individual rights are so strong that the state and its officials must be very limited in power [Nozick]
18644 States can't enforce mutual aid on citizens, or interfere for their own good [Nozick]
20585 If an experience machine gives you any experience you want, should you hook up for life? [Nozick]
20521 Can I come to own the sea, by mixing my private tomato juice with it? [Nozick]
21737 Unowned things may be permanently acquired, if it doesn't worsen the position of other people [Nozick]
21738 Maybe land was originally collectively owned, rather than unowned? [Cohen,GA on Nozick]
22661 My Anarchy, State and Utopia neglected our formal social ties and concerns [Nozick on Nozick]
22662 In the instrumental view of rationality it only concerns means, and not ends [Nozick]
22663 Rationality is normally said to concern either giving reasons, or reliability [Nozick]
22664 I do not care if my trivial beliefs are false, and I have no interest in many truths [Nozick]
22665 Maybe James was depicting the value of truth, and not its nature [Nozick]
22666 Is it rational to believe a truth which leads to permanent misery? [Nozick]
22667 Rationality needs some self-consciousness, to also evaluate how we acquired our reasons [Nozick]
3570 Maybe knowledge is belief which 'tracks' the truth [Nozick, by Williams,M]
2748 A true belief isn't knowledge if it would be believed even if false. It should 'track the truth' [Nozick, by Dancy,J]