Jan Narveson

Narveson was born in Erskine, Minnesota, United States. He studied at the University of Chicago where he obtained a BA 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. A critic of Marxism, he is also known at the University of Waterloo for taking part in many on-campus debates. In 2002 he published Respecting Persons in Theory and Practice (2002), a collection of his most influential essays spanning the length of his career. His most recent work is You and the State: A Short Introduction to Political Philosophy. Narveson is a long-time member of the Ontario Libertarian Party, and is currently a member of its 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.[1]

In 2003, Narveson was made an Officer of the Order of Canada by past Governor-General of Canada, Adrienne Clarkson.

Narveson was the founding Chairman and President of the Institute for Liberal Studies, and since 2016 has been Chairman Emeritus.

• Morality and Utility, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1967.
• Moral Issues, Oxford University Press, 1983.
• Political Correctness: For and Against co-authored with Marilyn Friedman, Rowman & Littlefield, 1995.
• Moral Matters, 2nd ed., Broadview Press, 1999.
• The Libertarian Idea, Paperback edition (with new preface). Broadview Press, 2001. (Orig. pub.: Temple University Press, 1988)
• Respecting Persons in Theory and Practice: Essays on Moral and Political Philosophy, Rowman & Littlefield, 2002.
• You and the State, 2008.
• This is Ethical Theory, Open Court, 2010.
• Are Liberty and Equality Compatible?, Cambridge University Press, 2010.

• 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
• A debate between Narveson and Gary Francione on Radio Netherlands on the issue of animal rights.