The economics of the satisfaction of needs

Abstract

This paper is a proposal for the development of an economics that would be based on satisfaction of the unvarying and universal human needs and not of desires or wants, which are easily manipulable and change, not only from one society to another, but also from one individual to another and even for the same individual at different moments of his or her life. This economics would deal with the production, distribution, and use or consumption of all those entities – goods, services, relations, self-expressions – that satisfy human needs. It is suggested that in order to achieve stability in social and economic growth, all needs should be simultaneously satisfied, not only the so-called basic needs – food, shelter, clothing, health care, and education. It is claimed that technological development is making this proposal possible, particularly because the satisfaction of most of the psychological and sociocultural needs relies mainly on gratuitous relations and self-expressions that only make use of the body and freely available elements of nature. The satisfaction of needs such as those for psychological support and protection; emotional, intellectual, and physical communication; participation; and autonomy does not require goods and services from the market. These needs have nevertheless been those most often repressed in the course of human history because primitive technological patterns required that the energy consumed by relationships and self-expression be saved for productive purposes. Examples are given from the author's experience on ways in which an approach that would simultaneously take into account psychological and sociocultural needs and the biological requirements for survival could be used for the analysis of problems in village development, population growth, technological design, and project implementation.

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