Need

Definition: As used herein, a Need or Needs refers to the unified system of Fundamental Human Needs that if not Adequately Satisfied for a Person leads to his or her physical and/or emotional Suffering and, finally, premature death. Needs are an expression of intrinsic human Nature. Cross-references - Contrast with Wants. More ... Page Original/Revision dates xx-xx-xx Subpages (1): Needs-Wants-Commentary Commentary Human Needs, according to Professor Max Neef, are a fundamental, unified system that is the same for all people in all times and places. (It is the strategies to meet Needs that change over time and from place to place.) Needs being a unified system makes sense. It indicates that one Need cannot be severed from others. We Need both Adequate oxygen and Adequate water, for instance. The Nature of humans requires both of them. Getting one’s Needs met is always Desirable. A Person Desiring chocolate ice cream, on the other hand, is a Want. When there is a conflict between two or more Persons over their Needs and Wants, the notion of Due Regard comes into play. Looking at the totality of our Needs, Professor Max Neef sites ten categories which I have arranged for my purposes under Four super-headings - A. Tangible (physical) Subsistence and Protection B. Intangible (psychological) Affection, Understanding, Participation, Leisure, Creation and Identity C. In terms of the Social Order Freedom (Liberty) I prefer the word “Liberty” rather than the professor’s “Freedom” because it ties in nicely with the famous second sentence of the U.S. Declaration of Independence - "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." D. Transcendence What about truth, beauty, and goodness? Where do the transcendentals fit in? I leave the answers to that question to the Individuals and especially to particular American Conversation Groups. But notice in his research, Max-Neef observed that there is a fundamental Need for "transcendence," as he put it. Here is a quote from his website - "As development [of a nation of people] should not be imposed from above but must come from the base, Max-Neef developed a method to grasp the true desires and needs of ordinary people. "The object of the search exemplifies the act of a mother breastfeeding her baby: a newborn has a basic necessity, livelihood; finds satisfaction in being breastfed, an act which in turn awakens other needs such as protection, love and identity and simultaneously stimulates your satisfaction. "According to that model, Max-Neef builds a basic matrix with nine basic needs (tenth, the search for transcendence ... seemed too bold) ..." (Emphasis added) See: http://www.max-neef.cl/ Arguments We acknowledge that experts may disagree over the particulars of our human Needs. For example, what - exactly - are the dimensions of our Need for Liberty? Experts most certainly disagree over the best strategies for getting Needs met. In any event, we have Needs. They must be met or some degree and kind of suffering follows. Needs and suffering spur people to take Action. References See Wikipedia article, Fundamental human needs Revised 10-14-14