Define "Need"

Olivia April 10, 2019 at 14:37 1050 views 2 comments

Hey! If you know of another conversation covering this topic please let me know! This is a question I have been pondering for some time. Can need exist without want? I've asked many people who aren't interested in philosophy what their definition of "need" (the verb form for the sake of simplicity) is and they usually end up with what is required for survival. But required in that definition is just a synonym for need isn't it? And is survival required if you don't want to survive? (Please note I am not endorsing suicide I'm just talking about hypotheticals here). Is there something that a person actually needs without wanting what that need provides? If the answer is no, then does "need" exist at all? Does that not just eliminate it and leave "want" behind? Feel free to bluntly point out the holes in my reasoning, I'm open to criticism!

Comments (2)

Deleted User April 10, 2019 at 15:35 #275093 0 likes

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PossibleAaran April 10, 2019 at 16:36 #275130 0 likes

Let's try defining "need" by starting with the notion of purpose. You only need X for some purpose or another. For instance, you need food, but you only need it for the purpose of staying alive. If you don't make surviving a goal of yours, there is no need for food. So what you need is always relative to your purposes.

Let's say that S needs X for some purpose P if and only if S cannot acheive P without X.

PA