Robert Nozick Quotes

Taxation of earnings from labor is on a par with forced labor. Seizing the results of someone's labor is equivalent to seizing hours from him and directing him to carry on various activities.

You can't satisfy everybody; especially if there are those who will be dissatisfied unless not everybody is satisfied.

The trouble with government regulation of the market is that it prohibits capitalistic acts between consenting adults.

Instead of trying to prove your opponent wrong, try to see in what sense he might be right.

Marxian exploitation is the exploitation of people's lack of understanding of economics.

No state more extensive than the minimal state can be justified.

Taxation of earnings from labor is on a par with forced labor.

The socialist society would have to forbid capitalist acts between consenting adults.

A distribution is just if it arises from another just distribution by legitimate means.

What else can matter to us, other than how our lives feel from the inside?

Through the evolutionary process, those who are able to engage in social cooperation of various sorts do better in survival and reproduction.

From each as they choose, to each as they are chosen.

Only the refusal to listen guarantees one against being ensnared by the truth.

It goes without saying that any persons may attempt to unite kindred spirits, but, whatever their hopes and longings, none have the right to impose their vision of unity upon the rest.

Why are philosophers intent on forcing others to believe things? Is that a nice way to behave towards someone?

Whatever arises from a just situation by just steps is itself just.

There is room for words on subjects other than last words.

And although it might be best of all to be Socrates satisfied, having both happiness and depth, we would give up some happiness in order to gain the depth.

Justice in holdings is historical; it depends upon what actually has happened. We shall return to this point later.

It is, from another angle, an attack on requiring proof in philosophy. And it's also the case, I guess, that my temperament is to like interesting, new, bold ideas, and to try and generate them.

Evolutionary cosmology formulates theories in which a universe is capable of giving rise to and generating future universes out of itself, within black holes or whatever.

No one has ever announced that because determinism is true thermostats do not control temperature.

Individuals have rights and there are things no person or group may do to them (without violating their rights).