The Examined Life


The Examined Life is a 1989 collection of philosophical meditations by the philosopher Robert Nozick. The book drew a number of critical reactions.

Summary

The book is an attempt to "tackle human nature, the personal, 'the holiness of everyday life' and its meaning." Nozick expresses his concerns with libertarianism and proposes some form of inheritance taxation.

Reception

praised The Examined Life in The Wilson Quarterly, but stated that it had some passages that were less strong than others. The journalist Jane O'Grady called the work "disappointingly schmaltzy" in The Guardian.
In The Oxford Companion to Philosophy, the philosopher Anthony Quinton described The Examined Life as "unkindly treated".