The Political Philosophy of Needs (Hardcover)

Preface; Introduction; 1. Liberalism's rights-preferences couple; 2. Beyond the rights-preferences couple; 3. The form and outline of the argument; Part I. The Nature of Needs: 4. Need categories; 5. Vital needs; 6. Particular social needs; 7. Agency needs; 8. The natures of needs: historical, normative, political; Part II. The Formation and Interpretation of Needs: 9. Generation and legitimation; 10. Normative power and the institution of private property; 11. Perception and interpretation; 12. Oppression and need; 13. True interests; 14. The concepts of true interest; Part III. The Political Evaluation of Needs: 15. Freedom and rights: a critique of the concept of 'civil society'; 16. Practices, institutions, and the evaluation of institutions; 17. Roles: reclaiming the census; 18. Practical reason and practical imperatives; Part IV. The State of Needs: 19. The state; 20. The modern state, coercion and power; 21. The state as ultimate evaluator and guarantor for meeting needs; 22. Need priority: practical not theoretical; 23. Political participation: procedural and institutional proposals; 24. Legitimacy and paternalism; 25. States of needs; Conclusion: What needs to be done? The case of South Africa; Bibliography; Index.