How can something calling itself libertarian justify the re-distribution of wealth?
An early modern philosopher named John Locke (1632-1704) gave an account of how people can legitimately acquire full private ownership over land and natural resources. He stated that private appropriation is legitimate as long as one leaves “enough and as good” for others or leaves everyone else equally well off or better off than they were before. Libertarian Philosopher Robert Nozick (1938-2002) added to this position with his theory of entitlement, arguing that one who obtains land through an initially just private acquisition, as outlined by Locke, can transfer their property to others, who then become the legitimate holders. Only private property acquired by these means is legitimate, he states. As a result taxation is unjustified and illegitimate. G. A. Cohen has critiqued this position noting that it is based on the assumption that land and natural resources are initially un-owned rather than communally own. This makes apparent the fact that those who appropriate land or natural
