Why Do People Need Government?

Over the course of many centuries, group leaders, tribal leaders, government officials and many others have asked this very question. They want to know if people can exist in relative harmony and live in an efficient manner without having elected or appointed leaders to show them the way.

One of the first issues that is brought up during discussion of government is whether human beings can exist for long without some sort of moral and social guidance. A good percentage of people living in the world today would say that this is not possible because there is a minority that creates problems and disturbances that make governments necessary.

People have appointed or elected leaders to enforce rules, guidelines and laws for centuries. When a rather large number of people live in a specific area and must share not only the space but its resources, decisions have to be made. While it is possible for a small group to sit down and discuss these issues, it is commonly held that larger populations need members of the group to represent them during debates and discussions.

Among many who study social interaction and political activity closely, there is a theory that a selfish or inconsiderate few make laws and regulations essential. There is another side to government, one which also divides up the resources and provides the means of living in a supposedly equitable manner.

One academic study shows at least three or four primary reasons that human beings must be supervised and controlled by some sort of formal government. These include dealing with greed and selfishness by keeping it under control; maintaining orderly interaction between individuals and groups; and working to keep traditions and basic rights in play for everyone in the community.

One of the key tasks for government applies not to groups or whole populations, but to individual action. Government officials, in the form of law enforcement officers, are representatives who deal with order, basic rights and greed on a case-by-case, daily basis. Unfortunately, this has become one of the major tasks of government, along with being one of the most expensive.

A population, nation or community has only a limited amount of resources – food, water, living space etc. If there was no government in this community or nation, would the strongest and most aggressive control the majority (or all) of the resources? Many would say yes, that without government this would be common. This occasionally occurs even in a country that has a “government.” When one person or a few take most of the power into their own hands, tyranny exists. While it may be a form of government it seems to be much closer to what a country without government would be like. Many modern-day countries operate with the idea that some formal government structure is necessary to protect human life, individual freedom and personal property. Most people understand that without this structure life would be dangerous, if not impossible. Government, in the view of many, helps put people on a more equal basis, even if it isn’t perfect.

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