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An Alleged Contradiction in Nozick's Entitlement Theory

The Journal of Libertarian Studies
07/30/2014Anna-Karin M. Andersson

Susan Moller Okin, in her 1989 book Justice, Gender, and the Family, puts forth an objection to Nozick’s entitlement theory. In short, Nozick's entitlement theory states that unowned material resources can be legitimately acquired by labor in a certain sense. Okin argues that an advocate of Nozick’s entitlement theory must, on pain of contradiction, accept that a mother owns her offspring by virtue of being the creator, at least until the offspring has developed certain properties and capabilities.

Volume 21, Number 3 (2007)

Author:

Anna-Karin M. Andersson

Anna-Karin M. Andersson received a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Stockholm and will be a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard University in 2008.

Cite This Article

Andersson, Anna-Karin M. "An Alleged Contradiction in Nozick's Entitlement Theory." Journal of Libertarian Studies 21, No. 3 (2007): 43–63.