Entitlement Theory
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Entitlement Theory is Robert Nozick's theory of private property. It is based on John Locke's ideas and revolves around entitlements and Nozick's ideas of who is entitled to what, according to their class and needs, plus other factors. Entitlement Theory was outlined in Anarchy, State, and Utopia
Nozick's entitlement theory is comprised of 3 main principles:
- A principle of transfer- whatever is justly acquired may be freely transferred.
- A principle of just initial acquisition- an account of how people first come to own common property.
- A principle of rectification of injustice - how to deal with holdings if unjustly acquired or transferred.
People are represented as ends in themselves and equals, as Kant claimed, though different people may own (ie. be entitled to) different amounts of property. His ideas create a strong system of private property and a free-market economy. The only just transaction is a voluntary one. Taxation of the rich to support social programs for the poor are unjust because the state is acquiring money by taking it instead of through a voluntary transaction.
[edit] Differences from other Ideals
Entitlement Theory contrasts sharply with the Difference Principle in Rawls' A Theory of Justice, which states that each person has an equal claim to basic rights and liberties, and that inequality should only be permitted to the degree that it helps the people on the bottom. It also contrasts with the Marxist belief that there should be no inequality at all, and therefore no private ownership of the means of production or entitlements stemming from that.
