Jan Narveson

Jan Narveson
Era	Contemporary philosophy
Region	Western philosophy
School	Political philosophy
Main interests	liberalism, libertarianism, contractarianism
Notable ideas	contractarian libertarianism

Jan Narveson, O.C. (born 1936) is professor of philosophy emeritus at the University of Waterloo, in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. An anarcho-capitalist and contractarian, Narveson's form of libertarianism is deeply influenced by the thought of Robert Nozick, David Gauthier and Anthony de Jasay. Along with Nozick's Anarchy, State and Utopia, Narveson's The Libertarian Idea (1988) stands as one of the most important works of libertarian theory.

Narveson was born in Erskine, Minnesota, United States. He studied at the University of Chicago where he obtained a B.A. in political science and in philosophy; he then spent a year at the University of Oxford on a traveling fellowship before earning a PhD at Harvard University in 1961. His libertarian views have evolved from dissatisfaction with utilitarianism.

A prolific author, Narveson has written hundreds of essays, reviews and articles for publication. Despite his distinguished academic background, his writing style is often informal and humorous, broadening his potential appeal to the general public. A fierce critic of Marxism, he is also known in the University of Waterloo for taking part in many on-campus debates. His most recent work is Respecting Persons in Theory and Practice (2002), a collection of his most influential essays spanning the length of his career. Narveson is a member of the Ontario Libertarian Party's Ethics Committee.

Apart from his libertarian work, he is the founder/president of the Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Society - a long-running venue for classical chamber music.

In 2004, Narveson was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Works

• Respecting Persons in Theory and Practice: Essays on Moral and Political Philosophy. Rowman & Littlefield, 2002.
• The Libertarian Idea. Paperback ed (with new preface). Broadview Pr., 2001. (Orig. pub.: Temple University Press, 1988)
• Moral Matters. 2nd ed. Broadview Pr., 1999.
• Political Correctness: For and Against co-authored with Marilyn Friedman. Roman & Littlefield. 1995.
• Moral Matters. Broadview Pr., 1993.
• Moral Issues. Oxford University Press, 1983.
• Morality and Utility. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1967.

External links

• Homepage of Jan Narveson at the Univ. of Waterloo
• Criticism of Narveson's Libertarianism by G.A. Cohen
• An interview with Jan Narveson about the philosophy of Robert Nozick by Peter Jaworski
• A review of Narveson's The Libertarian Idea and Respecting Persons in Theory and Practice