An African Communitarian Response to Robert Nozick's Political Philosophy

Emmanuel Jerome Udokang ,Precious Uwaezuoke Obioha

doi:10.7176/jpcr/47-02

Abstract

Robert Nozick’s attempt to contribute to the existing corpus on the best possible way to achieve a good human community conducive for the realization and flowering of human well-being must be seen as a bold step to change the political cum socio-economic landscape of the world environment. This is expected of every political philosopher, to deploy his/her wealth of philosophical arsenal towards changing our world and making it conducive for the achievement of the summum bonnum. However, Nozick’s political thoughts have far reaching implications for human well-being and the establishment of a good human community. The paper through the analytical and critical methods of a philosophical research, argues against certain positions which Nozick has taken in his political thoughts. The paper claims that Nozick’s thought sparks an extreme form of unbridled individualism and that Nozick's entitlement theory lacks the human feelings of sympathy, co-existence, acceptance, care and concern requisite for building a good human community. The paper finally advocates for a political thought and arrangement that tries to minimize the plights and the sufferings of the disadvantaged and worse off members of the human community made possible through the virtues of sympathy, love, compassion, acceptance, co-existence and care espoused in African Communitarian idea of justice. DOI : 10.7176/JPCR/47-02 Publication date: December 31 st 2019

Highlights

From the distant past to the present time, political philosophers have always asked questions and brainstormed on how best to achieve a good human community for the full realization of man's personhood and the flowering of his potentialities and personality
It seeks to establish basic principles that will justify a particular form of state, what constitutes individuals' inalienable rights and why they possess them
I have argued elsewhere in a paper entitled, Between Individualism and Communitarianism in the Quest for a Good Human Community, that “Individualism as a social arrangement is steeped in egoism, unhealthy and divisive competition, extreme quest for personal rights, disdain for public interest and common good and for this very reason constitutes a bane for social order, whereas communitarianism, of the African type, with its values of solidarity, altruism, synergy, interdependence and cooperative togetherness, is foundational for social cohesion requisite for a full realization of personhood and a good human community” (Obioha 3-17)

Summary

Introduction

From the distant past to the present time, political philosophers have always asked questions and brainstormed on how best to achieve a good human community for the full realization of man's personhood and the flowering of his potentialities and personality. A good understanding of Nozick's political thought, expressed in his quest for the achievement of a good human community, requires an adequate knowledge of the key terms that underlie his thought namely, Individualism, Justice and the Minimal State.

Results

Conclusion