The Entitlement Theory of Justice Considered

Abstract

In Anarchy, State and Utopia Robert Nozick advocates an entitlement theory of justice. But each of its three principles has difficulties. The right of acquisition, which Nozick regards as Lockean, lacks the base of Locke's right to property in a right to life, nor does it stand, Nozick admits, on a utilitarian justification. The right of transfer, more complex than it first seems, includes unavoidable restrictions on voluntary transfers even on Nozick's account which apparently uses two different conceptions of property. The principle of rectification seems unworkable, not only because of the information it requires but also because any application of it (subsequent to the first generation) is either uncertain or unjust. An entitlement theory is purely formal unless it provides rules for assigning specific rights.