Entitlement Theory
- Theory
- Entitlement Theory
- Jurist
- Robert Nozick
- Description
From Anarchy, State, and Utopia (1974), a historical theory of distributive justice. A holding is just if it arises through three principles: just acquisition (of previously unowned things), just transfer (voluntary exchange or gift), and rectification of past injustice. Rejects patterned, end-state theories like Rawls's — justice depends on how holdings came about, not how they are distributed.