The Philosophy of Need (Royal Institute of Philosophy Supplements) 57

Until recently, philosophers tended to be suspicious of the concept of need. Contributors to this volume build on recent work establishing its philosophical importance. David Wiggins, Gillian Brock and John O'Neill propose remedies for some mistakes made in ignoring or marginalising need, for example in need-free theories of rationality or justice. Christopher Rowe, Soran Reader and Sarah Miller highlight insights that emerge when the concept of need is explored through Plato, Aristotle and Kant - and others that emerge when historical work is seen through the lens of need. Jonathan Lowe and Garrett Thomson consider the role need plays in the philosophies of action and mind. Bill Wringe, David Braybrooke and Sabina Alkire debate how our obligations relating to need are best understood and articulated, and how we can best ensure they are fulfilled, exploring for example how talk of need is related to talk of rights, well-being or capability. "This book is aimed at professional academics and advanced students in the areas of philosophy, political theory, law, geography, anthropology, development and international relations. It is suitable for use as recommended reading for advanced courses in moral and political philosophy, as well as in development economics and ethics, where it will form a useful complement and update to Gillian Brock's 1998 Necessary Goods, engaging with new issues as it does, including for example the popular 'capability approach' to development. Research students working on need will find it an essential reference, and teachers and the general public will find in it useful treatment of contemporary moral issues. Professional philosophers seeking a new seam of conceptual inquiry may be inspired by it to begin new work exploring, for example, the relationship between human need and other forms of necessity, and the relationship between need and patiency, passivity and suffering."--Jacket This book is aimed at professional academics and advanced students in the areas of philosophy, political theory, law, geography, anthropology, development and international relations. It is suitable for use as recommended reading for advanced courses in moral and political philosophy, as well as in development economics and ethics, where it will form a useful complement and update to Gillian Brock's 1998 Necessary Goods, engaging with new issues as it does, including for example the popular 'capability approach' to development. Research students working on need will find it an essential reference, and teachers and the general public will find in it useful treatment of comtemporary moral issues. Professional philosophers seeking a new seam of conceptual inquiry may be inspired by it to begin new work exploring, for example, the relationship between human need and other forms of necessity, and the relationship between need and patiency, passivity and suffering.

This book endeavours to underline the philosophical importance of need, with essays that will have significance for the study of moral and political philosophy, as well as development economics and ethics.