The theory of need has a political problem

This chapter argues that the contemporary theory of need suffers from a fundamental political problem. Whilst most modern theorists recognise the role of politics in specifying and satisfying needs, they have nevertheless clung to the idea that our most important needs can be identified outside of politics. But that assumption, as this chapter argues, has produced a theoretical dilemma between the dangers of contextual relativism and universalising partisanship that has proven inimical to any sort of resolution. To make that case, it offers a taxonomy and critique of the major contemporary approaches to need in analytical political theory, showing that – despite some significant variation – these all ultimately theorise that concept in ways that foreclose the political. The political theory of need is thus, despite its label, not very ‘political’ at all. Against that trend, the chapter argues that we should conceive of need instead as constitutively political: shaped not only by conflict and difference, but also by the necessity of collective action, the demand for shared standards, and the pervasive influence of power. Drawing on critical theory, it outlines an alternative orientation that does not seek to resolve political disagreement over needs, but embraces needs as sites of ongoing political struggle.