Book: "Of Human Potential"

 INDIVIDUAL
|

 INTERPERSONAL    :     SCIENCES               

HUMANISTIC --------------------------------------  MECHANISTIC      

SOCIOLOGY  :   POLITICAL 

|

GROUP

"1. The picture we have painted of human nature is centered on the notion of action as purposive, symbolic, and social - actions both reflective of prior norms and creative of new ones through the instrumentality of choice. ... 3. Their courses are modified by belief and interpretation, fear and hope, recollection and anticipation, symbolism and value.	2. Human lives thus do not ride on fixed rails; they do not follow trajectories already laid down by physics supplemented by biology. ... 4. The newborn child, considered simply as a biological unit, is indeterminate as a human being -
- the texture of its life is still to be filled out largely by human effort, that is to say, by culture, history, education and decision." p.41.	It is politicians' and policy makers' role to help realise human potential and societal progress: human AND now biospheric flourishing. THINK about how YOU vote!*

Of Human Potential
Cover: AbeBooks

*Political freedom permitting.

Scheffler, I. (1985) Of Human Potential. Chapter II POTENTIAL: A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.

Another book gone to the charity shop...

Call for Papers - Basic Needs: Normative Perspectives

Call for papers*

for a special issue on

Basic Needs: Normative Perspectives

(Editors: Lukas Meyer – Daniel Petz – Alessandro Pinzani)

Lessico di Etica Pubblica

http://www.eticapubblica.it/

 

In recent years the debate on basic needs and their place in normative theories of ethics and politics has been rekindled. This controversial concept has finally been openly adopted by authors who adopt different approaches to discuss issues of social justice. There are good reasons for this.

As a currency of justice, needs have several advantages. First, in contrast to preferences, desires, and some other currencies, basic needs are fully objective, i.e., whether a person has a basic need for a certain thing is independent of her own or anybody else’s mental attitudes towards that thing. A second important reason for preferring basic needs as the currency of justice is that they are also universal, although their definition might be culturally influenced. Thirdly, basic needs are intrinsically morally demanding: that P has a basic need for O by itself entails that P ought to be able to have, be, realize, etc. O. Finally, basic needs also have an important advantage in the particular context of sufficientarianism. One of the main objections against sufficientarianism is that it is unable to provide a plausible substantive specification of its threshold of sufficiency. The concept of basic needs, in contrast, essentially entails the idea of a qualitative difference. Being able to fulfill such needs takes precedence over being able to fulfill non-basic needs and desires. Moreover, it distinguishes a life that has a certain minimum quality from a life that lacks this quality.

We invite authors to explore these and other aspects of the concept of basic needs and its use for normative theories of social justice, including intergenerational justice.

Contributions can be in English, Italian, German, and French. The deadline is September 30, 2022

For inquiries please contact: Alessandro Pinzani <alepinzani AT gmail.com>

 

*currently.

Sheltered housing, care domains, ADLs, telecare and wardens

Shelter is a basic human need, one rendered acute when people are forced to flee their homeland. On a rather different level in the UK there is currently quite a debate about sheltered housing and the withdrawal of live-in wardens. This 'debate' has even progressed to judicial review.

I've visited many clients when the warden has appeared at the window or door to check that things are aok? Such has been the time keeping and client's faith in their clock that on occasion it could have been Kant walking by. It is often helpful to invest some time and get to know the warden, too see what they know not just about 'care of older adults', but about their residents many of whom become friends. We need to remember what a difference an individual can make in these situations. The clue is in the title 'sheltered housing' which in Hodges' model spans the interpersonal and sociology care domains. I've illustrated this below:

Suddenly, the advent of telecare, video and mobile comms and resulting benefits raise the possibility of service 'duplication' at a time when cost savings are sought in social care. Alternately, we might ask if some overlaps in service provision are good insurance? For the people in sheltered housing and their relatives what did sheltered mean to them when they first viewed the facility, what does it mean now? As is the case with day care centre managers, the more dynamic wardens really do make a difference to these communities of individuals. As Peter Sellers showed us sometimes for a gardener - or a warden - just Being There is reassurance enough.

Hodges' model can be used as a reflective device for this real-world bricks and mortar example of a clash between the humanistic and mechanistic care domains.

Additional link: International Human Rights Day 2009

Original dwelling image from: http://www.cherokeemedicineman.com/dwelling.html

Film image source IMDb