Wants and Needs

Wants and Needs

One of the weaknesses of capitalism as a means to satisfy ‘wants’ is that instead of satisfying ’wants’ it clearly by its very motivation ends up creating more ‘wants’ in an endless cycle. Thus, if we put ‘wants’ before ‘needs’, then ’needs’, though limited, will never be satisfied.

‘Wants’ are in every case imaginary (reified fantasy or abstractions…hence their ‘infinity’), while needs are both imaginary and verifiable in the sense that if needs are not satisfied, then those in need will suffer physical harm with or without a concomitant ‘wanting’.

Granted, a frustration of ‘wants’ for some leads to emotional derangement and consequent physical harm, but the emotional derangement is the necessary intermediary.

With regard to unfulfilled ’needs’, harm may follow without any intermediary emotional derangement. People may die without being unhappy as sick or starving people sometimes do. Some die in an illness or starvation induced stupor, especially children, not unlike a person dying of carbon monoxide poisoning, “the silent killer.”

Of course, since ‘wants’ to some extent includes ‘needs’ we cannot completely discount capitalism as a means of providing for ‘needs’. However, the argument that capitalism is the best system for satisfying ’needs’ is obviously false since ‘needs’ and ‘wants’ are often incompatible, while ‘needs’ are universal.

So what is ‘needed’ is a system that first satisfies ‘needs’ universally, and only then, with whatever sustainable capacity remains, provides for ‘wants’.

For the reasons stated above, unfettered capitalism is no such system. That much is obvious.

If being ‘normal’ is such a good thing, then why is the world so messed up (toxic optimists like Pinker or ‘Lord’ Ridley not withstanding)? Being ‘normal’ in a radically capitalist society clearly does not entail living by the common sense inherent in the adage, “moderation in all things.” So much for the economists’ fantasy of ‘the rational agent’ -> clearly the economist apologists for unfettered capitalism are themselves no such thing.