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Robert Nozick's Account Of Property Rights

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When looking at property distribution it is easy to come to the conclusion that Robert Nozick’s libertarian account of property rights is the most reasonable theory. Nozick’s view is one that can be easily defended and there are plenty of examples to support the claims he makes. By utilizing Nozick’s theory, property distribution can be understood and improved on a grand scale. Before I am able to support these claims, it is important for the reader to truly understand key aspects of his theory. After describing the most important parts of his theory I will offer examples and reasons that offer support to his theory. There are also certain counterarguments against his views that I will address later in this paper to show these counterarguments …show more content…

When looking at these counterarguments individually it is easy to dismiss these disagreements. Some believe that the vast unequal distribution in United States can be used as an example of what is wrong with Nozick’s theory, but this is simply not valid. Although there are definitely issues with the wealth distribution in the United States, many of those problems are addressed in Nozick’s theory. One cannot simply look at the current state of wealth distribution and ignore the history behind the problems. A majority of the current unequal distribution is due to a long history of unjust practices in business related to acquisition and transfer. Using Nozick’s theory of property distribution these problems become obsolete. Nozick’s theory includes rules that need to be followed, which prevent the unjust transfer of goods by using coercive measures. By following this rule, we immediately avoid the wealth gained by people who use unjust practices to gain their wealth. People might also point to the unequal distribution experienced by different racial groups as evidence against Nozick’s theory. This argument can also be discredited using Nozick’s third and final rule, which declares that problems caused by past injustices need to rectified. This rule would immediately help fix issues with unequal distribution of wealth between whites and minorities. Throughout history minorities have been handicapped by problems with equality causing them to essentially fall behind economically. If these injustices were rectified financially, the playing field would become substantially more

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