Role of Government

[Prometheus]

A friend of mine, when we were discussing the role of a government, argued that the government has some form of basic social resposibility, like that of providing primary education to children.

So i'd like to pose your'll the question of what exactly is the role of a government in a capitalist society. Does it have any form of social responsibility?

Could someone also point me in the direction of how to learn more about capitalism, right from scratch. An explanation of it's principles would be highly appreciated, if someone has the time for it.

thank you for your time,

dinesh.

[AutoJC]

The Capitalism Site is as good a site as any to find out what the role of government should be in a capitalist society.

I highly recommend this site.

I'd put in a good word about its forum, but the 10 minute delay between posts is rather excessive and not conducive to lively discussion.

[Richard_Halley]

Ayn Rand wrote an essay particularly covering the role of government in a free society. I believe it is located in The Virtue of Selfishness.

[Concerto of Atlantis]

Dinesh, here's a quick answer to your question - quick because I have to leave home in 5 minutes.

The role of the government in a capitalistic society is to protect individual rights. It would consist of the army to protect its citizens from foreign invaders, a police force to protect citizens from other citizens and a judiciary. Capitalism rejects ideas such as public healthcare and public education because ultimately such projects would have to be funded by theft - in the form of taxes, which is a violation of individual rights. However, if a group of individuals voluntarily agreed to set up say, a public school using their own money, then that would be perfectly legitimate.