Chapter 14, "The Nature of Government", Ayn Rand (1963) Summary and Analysis

In this chapter, Rand discusses the nature of government, what a government in a free society should look like, and why government is necessary to maintain a free society. She defines government as "an institution that holds exclusive power to enforce certain rules of social conduct in a given geographical area" (p. 107). According to Rand, humans need government if they are to live in a society, and it is beneficial for individuals to live in a society because it is more conducive to successful survival to live in a social environment rather than in solitude. The two great benefits one can gain from social existence are knowledge and trade. The knowledge potentially available to humans is greater than any one person can acquire in one's own lifetime...