5.3.10 Self-Ownership: Control of Body and Abilities (Robert Nozick)

Self-Ownership

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Self-ownership is a central tenet of Robert Nozick's libertarian philosophy. Nozick argues that each individual has absolute ownership over themselves, which includes full control and rights over their body, talents, abilities, and labour.

This concept is crucial to his broader argument for minimal state intervention and the protection of individual liberty. Nozick's self-ownership principle asserts that individuals are sovereign entities, not to be used as mere means to others' ends or subjected to the coercive powers of the state beyond the protection of their rights.

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Nozick's belief in self-ownership extends to the idea that individuals own their bodies, talents, abilities, and the labour they produce.

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This means that people have the right to use their physical and intellectual capacities as they see fit, and any products or wealth generated from these capacities are rightfully theirs.

For Nozick, this ownership is inviolable, meaning that no one, including the state, has the right to take away or redistribute the fruits of an individual's labour without their consent.

Nozick famously equates taxation for redistributive purposes to a form of slavery. He argues that when the state imposes taxes to redistribute wealth, it is effectively claiming ownership over a portion of an individual's labour. This, according to Nozick, is morally equivalent to forcing someone to work for the benefit of others without their consent, which is a violation of their self-ownership.
Nozick's comparison of taxation to slavery is grounded in the idea that self-ownership entails full control over the products of one's labour. Any forced transfer of these products, such as through taxation for welfare programs, is seen as an unjust seizure of what rightfully belongs to the individual. This perspective is central to Nozick's broader critique of state intervention and his defense of a minimal state that does not infringe upon the rights derived from self-ownership.