Robert Nozick and the Moral High Ground

By Jason Brennan

This article appeared in the Fall 2024 issue of The Independent Review.

Robert Nozick does not start by making concessions that cede the moral high ground to opponents of liberty. Rather, he demonstrates the untoward outcomes of taking opponents’ arguments to their logical conclusions. A powerful example is Nozick’s claim that at least some taxation amounts to requiring people to work and is, thus, on a par with forced labor.

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Jason Brennan
is Robert J. and Elizabeth Flanagan Family Professor of Strategy, Economics, Ethics, and Public Policy at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University.

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