WHEN

October 24, 2024

6:00 PM

WHERE

Independent Institute 100 Swan Way

Oakland, CA

Join us for a reception and discussion of Robert Nozick’s classic book, Anarchy, State, and Utopia, first published fifty years ago. Nozick’s book refuted social-justice statism—but also rankled many conservatives and libertarians. This event coincides with the publication of the Fall 2024 special issue of The Independent Review, featuring scholars who revisit Nozick’s rational, complex, and balanced case for individual liberty and limited government. These scholars not only admire Nozick and deepen our understanding of his seminal work but also honor him with important disagreements and reinterpretations. Selected authors from the special issue will join us.

Alan Dershowitz

Emeritus Professor, Harvard Law School

Gregory J. Robson  

Mendoza College of Business, University of Notre Dame

Christopher Freiman

Chambers College of Business and Economics, West Virginia University

FEATURED BOOK

Anarchy, State, and Utopia

by Robert Nozick

First published in 1974, in response to John Rawls’ A Theory of Justice, Robert Nozick’s Anarchy, State, and Utopia has since become one of the defining texts in contemporary classical liberal thought. Challenging and ultimately rejecting liberal, socialist, and conservative agendas, Nozick boldly asserts that the rights of individuals are violated as a state’s responsibilities increase—and the only way to avoid these violations rests in the creation of a minimalist state limited to protection against force, fraud, theft, and the enforcement of contracts.