Taggart is the president of Taggart Transcontinental, Dagny's older brother, and the novel's most prominent villain. He is far worse than a corrupt businessman seeking wealth by parasitical means. Like his soulmate Lillian Rearden, Taggart is riddled with hatred for the good. His goal in life, which dominates his actions even when he doesn't recognize it explicitly, is to disfigure and destroy the men of the mind. He is a nihilist, one who seeks destruction of the good, and this characteristic dominates all aspects of his life.
Nihilism explains why Taggart hates Francisco, Dagny, Rearden, and Wyatt. It explains why he wants to hear Galt scream. It's also his primary motive for cannibalizing the Phoenix-Durango Railroad and destroying Dan Conway. To wound Hank Rearden is Taggart's sole reason for having sex with Lillian. To destroy the innocent hero-worship of Cherryl Brooks is his sole reason for marrying her. Taggart wants to celebrate the announcement of Argentina's transformation into a "People's State" not because of his anticipated profit, but because of the nationalization of d'Anconia Copper and the resulting financial destruction of Francisco d'Anconia.
Because man cannot live with the conscious realization that his purpose in life is destruction, Taggart is forced to evade understanding his true motives. He lies to himself endlessly, trying to convince himself that he seeks to gain wealth, to protect the interests of his railroad, to help "friends" such as Orren Boyle, or to serve the "public welfare." The truth is that Taggart doesn't value wealth, life, the railroad, success, Boyle, or the public. If "value" means to have a strong positive commitment to some life-enhancing person, object, or process, Taggart values nothing. On the contrary, he hates people capable of achieving values and living successfully. He is riddled with envy, which Ayn Rand defines as "hatred of the good for being the good." Only one thing compels him: to wreak such devastation that the good have no chance to survive. This is why, during a meeting that leads to the passage of Directive 10-289 (the laws designed to enslave productive men), Taggart involuntarily screams, "If we are to perish, let's make sure that we all perish together. Let's make sure that we leave them no chance to survive!"
