University of Tehran Public Law Studies Quarterly 2423-8120 55 1 2025 03 21 An Analytical Study of Robert Nozick's Theory of State An Analytical Study of Robert Nozick's Theory of State 479 508 96752 10.22059/jplsq.2023.359528.3320 FA Mohammad Shahab Jalilvand Assistant Prof. Member of the academic staff of the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, Ph.D in public law at Shahid Beheshti University. Tehran, Iran Journal Article 2023 05 22 Robert Nozick is a prominent theorist of the late twentieth century in the field of political philosophy, who gained fame with his book "Anarchy, State, and Utopia." In this book, based on an anarchistic foundation and relying on some of the principles of John Locke's thought, he outlines the theory of a "minimal state" and, through his specific interpretation of the transition from the "state of nature" to "civil society," ultimately presents an idealized vision of a minimal government. The main question of this research is what foundations and principles underlie the formation and development of the theory of minimal government in Nozick's thought, and what characteristics does this government possess? In contrast to the theory of distributive justice, Nozick insisted on the theory of entitlement justice and demonstrated that the implementation of this theory does not require a broader government. In this way, he challenged all other theories, such as Rawls's, which sought to justify a bureaucratic welfare state. This article aims to provide a depiction of the minimal state concept while critically analyzing Nozick's views using a descriptive-analytical method and library resources, as well as reflecting on the theories of other thinkers Robert Nozick is a prominent theorist of the late twentieth century in the field of political philosophy, who gained fame with his book "Anarchy, State, and Utopia." In this book, based on an anarchistic foundation and relying on some of the principles of John Locke's thought, he outlines the theory of a "minimal state" and, through his specific interpretation of the transition from the "state of nature" to "civil society," ultimately presents an idealized vision of a minimal government. The main question of this research is what foundations and principles underlie the formation and development of the theory of minimal government in Nozick's thought, and what characteristics does this government possess? In contrast to the theory of distributive justice, Nozick insisted on the theory of entitlement justice and demonstrated that the implementation of this theory does not require a broader government. In this way, he challenged all other theories, such as Rawls's, which sought to justify a bureaucratic welfare state. This article aims to provide a depiction of the minimal state concept while critically analyzing Nozick's views using a descriptive-analytical method and library resources, as well as reflecting on the theories of other thinkers https://jplsq.ut.ac.ir/article_96752_54f9eca42ecfe3bec3795718cc8df991.pdf