Nozick's Minimal State

Keep it Simple Since the dawn of modern civilization, humans have consistently fought with one and other on the dilemma of how to protect one’s individual rights, and how to go about protecting them. Whether the society had decided to handle this problem personally or by delegating such responsibilities to a higher authority depends on the time in history, but nevertheless the problem still remains. Having attempted both options in a variety of ways, it seems that the only option to have a functional governing entity is to redesign one completely from scratch, underlining the true priorities of the citizens and society as a whole. This ideal state, though large in responsibility, must remain simple and focused on its purpose, to undoubtedly …show more content…
In short, the state is liable for the protection of every individual’s rights when being transgressed by another, though any further interaction between the state and the citizen will be deemed a trespassing upon that citizen’s right to liberty. In such a society, referred to as the night-watchman state by Nozick, every person contains their own natural rights but in the formation of the authoritative group, some of those rights must be handed forth to the state in order for the policing power to enforce the established laws universally amongst the community. This ideology, first enacted by John Locke in the Two Treatises of Government, is an example of the “social contract” held between the state and its civilians to have a mutual union of …show more content…
This justice system will be a necessary precaution to make sure that all individuals within the protection of the state will be treated equally in the eyes of the law, meanwhile maintaining the legitimacy of the policing power by subjecting the state to the same laws as the