1938 – 2002
Robert Nozick (1938–2002) was an American political philosopher and professor at Harvard University, best known for his libertarian political theory developed as a response to John Rawls. His work spans epistemology, metaphysics, decision theory, and ethics, making him one of the most wide-ranging analytic philosophers of the twentieth century.
Developed the entitlement theory of justice in Anarchy, State, and Utopia (1974), the canonical libertarian response to Rawlsian liberalism
Introduced the experience machine thought experiment as a challenge to hedonistic theories of well-being
Formulated the closest-continuer theory of personal identity
Developed a tracking (reliabilist) account of knowledge using the concept of subjunctive conditionals
Authored The Examined Life and Philosophical Explanations, extending his influence across ethics, metaphysics, and the philosophy of mind