“These issues are very complex and are best left to a full treatment of the principle of rectification. In the absence of such a treatment applied to a particular society, one cannot use the analysis and theory presented here to condemn any particular scheme of transfer payments, unless it is clear that no considerations of rectification of injustice could apply to justify it. Although to introduce socialism as the punishment for our sins would be to go too far, past injustices might seem to be so great as to make necessary in the short run a more extensive state in order to rectify them.”

— Robert Nozick , book Anarchy, State, and Utopia

Source: (1974), p. 232 http://books.google.com/books?id=fVITAAAAQBAJ&pg=PT139

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Robert Nozick 32

American political philosopher 1938–2002

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