ABSTRACT
Chapter 2 explains that government – like government-in-context – is a social construction, and P.A. should be a bigger helper in facilitating understanding of such meanings. What can be interpreted as conflicting nudges are explored from Ayn Rand and Michel Foucault, and a third nudge is about meanings. The first intended nudge, from Ayn Rand, is toward minimal government. This includes the relevance of her views on metaphysics, epistemology, ethics (which she summarized as self-interest) and politics (summarized as capitalism). The second contradictory intended nudge from Michel Foucault is in an opposite direction – toward governmentality. Michel Foucault understands governmentality as related to power, thinking not only of top-down state power. He explains what he called “the conduct of conduct.” Foucault’s governmentality developed as governing relationships between self and self, self and family, and relations with others – understanding technologies of the self as techniques that allowed control over one’s own body, mind, soul, and lifestyle. The chapter turns to the large literature reflecting on meanings and the meaning of meanings – referring to business, economics, democracy and government-in-context. There is no version of government (not even Zeus’) that is not a social construction.
