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Appeals to need abound in everyday discussion. People make claims about their own needs all the time, and they do so in a way that suggests these should have a certain moral force. Needs also play an important role in contemporary popular discourse about social justice, climate change, obligations to future generations, dealing fairly with refugees, treating animals humanely, and critiques of consumerist lifestyles - to name just a few of the many examples. The idea of need is present in an increasing number of debates and domains. There is interest in need from several disciplines, not just philosophy, which also include psychology, economics, political science, social work and sociology. This volume, then, offers a fine introduction to an increasingly important concept in day-to-day life. In a new Foreword, Gillian Brock discusses the continuing significance of several innovative chapters in the book, indicating how they presaged new directions in philosophical conversation.
List of contents
1. Introduction Soran Reader; 2. An idea we cannot do without David Wiggins; 3. Needs and global justice Gillian Brock; 4. Need, humiliation and independence John O'neill; 5. Needs and ethics in ancient philosophy Christopher Rowe; 6. Aristotle on necessities and needs Soran Reader; 7. Need, care and obligation Sarah Clark Miller; 8. Needs, facts, goodness and truth Jonathan Lowe; 9. Fundamental needs Garrett Thomson; 10. Needs, rights and collective obligations Bill Wringe; 11. Where does the moral force of the concept of needs reside and when? David Braybrooke; 12. Needs and capabilities Sabina Alkire.
About the author
Soran Reader (1963-2012) was Reader in Philosophy at Durham University. She was the author of Needs and Moral Necessity (2007).Gillian Brock is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Auckland and a recent Fellow at the Edmond J Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University. She has published widely on ethics, political and social philosophy, and several applied ethics fields, along with a number of more inter-disciplinary areas. Her latest book is Justice for People on the Move (2022).
Summary
Appeals to need abound in everyday discussion. People make claims about their own needs all the time, in a way that suggests these should have moral force. This volume offers a fine introduction to an important concept in day-to-day life. A new Foreword explains the book's continuing significance and relevance.
Foreword
Appeals to 'need' are everywhere. This seminal volume introduces the concept as a vital component in the business of living.
