Government 1B Lesson 10 Essay – 1. What is Robert Nozick’s point in The Tale of the Slave? Do you think his point is valid? 2. Explain the difference between positive and negative rights, using at least one example.

Robert Nozick was trying to point out that even though we don’t live in total slavery we still are slaves to the government. In an ideal government we would be paying a fixed amount to live in a country, but today the United States government can take as much money as they want from us. Yes, Robert Nozick has a valid point.

The difference between a negative right and a positive right is that a negative right tells someone they cannot do something to you, but a positive right requires that they do something for you. Some examples of negative rights are property rights. These say that others cannot mess with property that you bought, were given voluntarily, or a piece of nature that you mixed your labor with. An example of a positive right is the right to healthcare. This means that everyone can force everyone else to give them free healthcare at the same time. That is not possible and is ridiculous.