Rawls sets out to propose a new theory, which he does by formulating two principles and "to show that the two principles of justice provide a better understanding of the claims of freedom and equality in a democratic society than the first principles associated with the traditional doctrines of utilitarianism, with perfectionism, or with institutionalism" (Rawls, Political Liberalism 292).
Nozick suggests an entitlement theory of justice that might seem to reflect the categorical imperative but which actually counters Kant's theory of property. John Rawls offered a revision of Kantian theory so it could be used as a grounding in ethical theory. Nozick also shows a strong commitment to prepolitical individual rights. He also recognizes that there are forces, including past injustices, which shape our holdings in society in various ways, raising the question of what ought to be done to rectify these injustices:
The general outlines of the theory of justice in holdings are that the holdings of a person are just if he is entitled to them by the principles of justice in acquisition and transfer, or by the principle of rectification of injustice (as specified by the first two principles). If each person's holdings are just, then the total set (distribution) of holdings is just (Nozick, "The Entitlement Theory" 255).
In terms of other forms of distribution, for example, Nozick finds...
However well intentioned, transfer payments are no different from ordinary theft (Olen and Barry 311).
Nozick's theory of justice was presented in his book Anarchy, State, and Utopia (chapter 7) and is called the entitlement theory. There, Nozick writes,
The complete principle of distributive justice would say simply that a distribution is just if everyone is entitled to the holdings they possess under the distribution (Nozick, Anarchy, State, and Utopia 151).
Nozick says the theory of Rawls is an end-result theory, while his own theory involves determining when the distribution of goods and rights is just.
Works Cited
Nozick, Robert. Anarchy, State, and Utopia. New York: Basic Books, 1974.
Nozick, Robert. "The Entitlement Theory." In Morality and Moral Controversies, John Arthur (ed.), 253-259. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1996.
Olen Jeffrey and Vincent Barry. Applying Ethics. Boston: Wadsworth Publishing, 1996.
Rawls, John. Political Liberalism. New York: Columbia University Press, 1996.
Rawls, John. A Theory of Justice. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1971.
