07 Cohen Assessing Nozick's Libertarianism

  • Introduction to Nozick’s Libertarianism:

    • Robert Nozick's political philosophy in Anarchy, State, and Utopia is centered around the principle of self-ownership rather than freedom itself. 罗伯特·诺齐克在《无政府、国家与乌托邦》中的政治哲学核心是“自我所有”原则，而非自由本身。
    • Self-ownership suggests that individuals own themselves, including their powers and bodies, and are morally free to use them without aggression toward others. 自我所有：个人拥有自己，包括其能力和身体，并在道德上自由使用这些权利，只要不对他人施加侵略。
    • For Nozick, self-ownership is more fundamental than freedom, which implies that freedom flows from self-ownership rather than being an independent starting point. 对诺齐克而言，自我所有比自由更为基础，这意味着自由是由自我所有派生的，而非独立的起点。

  • Property Rights and Inequality （财产权和不平等）:

    • Nozick believes that self-ownership extends to property rights: individuals have the right to accumulate external resources, leading to inequality. 诺齐克认为，自我所有延伸到财产权：个人有权积累外部资源，这会导致不平等。
    • The unequal distribution of resources is justified as long as individuals’ initial acquisitions are legitimate and do not violate others' self-ownership. 只要个体的初始占有是合法的，没有侵犯他人的自我所有，这种资源的不平等分配就是正当的。
    • This generates significant inequality in society, but for Nozick, as long as the acquisitions are legitimate, the inequality is protected morally. 这种不平等在社会中产生了巨大的差距，但在诺齐克看来，只要占有是合法的，不平等在道德上是受到保护的。

  • Redistributive Taxation and Helping Others （对再分配税和帮助他人的反对）:

    • Nozick opposes redistributive taxation because it forces individuals to serve others, which he argues is morally wrong, as it violates self-ownership. 诺齐克反对再分配税，因为它强迫个人为他人服务，他认为这在道德上是错误的，因为它侵犯了自我所有。
    • Although Nozick doesn’t oppose helping others, he insists that such help must be voluntary and not forced through taxation. 虽然诺齐克并不反对帮助他人，但他坚持这种帮助必须是自愿的，而不是通过税收强迫的。

  • Critique of Self-Ownership by the Left:

    • Cohen presents a common critique from leftist thinkers: self-ownership generates unacceptable inequalities, and they advocate for equality of condition over absolute self-ownership.
    • Some left-wing perspectives argue that people should be forced to help others to ensure a more equal distribution of wealth and opportunity.
    • However, Cohen notes that the principle of self-ownership is intuitively appealing, even to critics of inequality, which complicates the debate.
    • 科恩提出了左派思想家的常见批判：自我所有导致不可接受的不平等，他们主张平等的生活条件，而不是绝对的自我所有。
    • 一些左派观点认为，为了确保财富和机会的更平等分配，人们应该被迫帮助他人。
    • 然而，科恩指出，自我所有的原则对许多人来说具有直觉上的吸引力，甚至对那些反对不平等的人，这使得辩论更加复杂。

  • Legitimate Appropriation of Resources (资源的合法占有):

    • One of the main issues Cohen raises is how Nozick justifies the initial acquisition of external resources, which then leads to vast inequalities.
    • Nozick’s theory of entitlement rests on the Lockean proviso that appropriation is legitimate if it does not worsen others' conditions.
    • However, Cohen criticizes Nozick’s interpretation of this proviso, arguing that it is too lax and that appropriation often worsens the condition of others.
    • 科恩提出的一个主要问题是，诺齐克如何为外部资源的初始占有提供正当性，而这种占有又导致了巨大的不平等。
    • 诺齐克的权利理论基于洛克的前提，即占有是合法的，只要它没有使他人的状况变得更糟。
    • 然而，科恩批评诺齐克对这一前提的解释，认为其过于宽松，占有往往会使他人的状况恶化。

  • Example of Appropriation:

    • Cohen presents a hypothetical scenario where one person (A) appropriates land, leaving another person (B) with fewer opportunities. A then hires B to work the land.
    • While B may be better off under A’s ownership than under common ownership, Cohen points out that this arrangement still creates a power imbalance that undermines freedom.
    • The power dynamics and inequalities produced through this kind of appropriation challenge Nozick’s defense of capitalist property rights.

  • Cohen’s Critique of Capitalism:

    • Cohen extends his critique to the broader defense of capitalism. He argues that even though capitalism may produce overall economic growth, it doesn’t ensure fairness or equality for all individuals.
    • He also points out that Nozick’s theory depends on empirical claims that are open to challenge, such as the idea that people in a capitalist society are always better off than they would be under other systems.

  • Alternative Approaches to Equality:

    • Cohen suggests that leftists should not reject self-ownership outright but should instead focus on challenging the unequal distribution of resources that self-ownership can justify.
    • He advocates for an egalitarian distribution of worldly resources while still affirming the principle of self-ownership to some extent.
    • In his view, socialist equality and self-ownership are incompatible, and thus those who value equality must reject full self-ownership, even if external resources are equally distributed.

  • Conclusion:

    • Cohen concludes that while Nozick’s theory provides a strong defense of inequality through self-ownership, it fails to justify the resulting social and economic disparities adequately.
    • He argues for a new framework that better balances self-ownership with a more equal distribution of resources, though he acknowledges the difficulty of designing such a system.

  • Two lines of attack:

    • Reject self-ownership
      • Prioritize value of equality of condition (egalitarian)
    • Argue that self-ownership does not necessitate capitalism