Man versus the State

A constant theme that runs throughout Ayn Rand's novels is the conflict between the individual and the state. The individual, if she is morally good, acts on a principle of freedom. She refuses to be made a slave and refuses to enslave anyone else. She interacts with other adults on terms of mutual respect and reciprocity, trading value for value and always and everywhere avoiding taking from others undeservedly. The good individual finds happiness in the development of her projects, plans and character.

The state, in contrast, is an agglomeration of brute force used to enforce altruism and parasitical self-interest at gunpoint. It is represented by the historical archetype of Attila, the man who tries to achieve happiness and prosperity through the violent domination of others. The modern social democratic welfare state is, too Rand's eyes, only a nicer, muddled version of the Soviet or...