![Sample our Health and Social Care journals, sign in here to start your FREE access for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5938/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Health-Social-Care.jpg"})
ABSTRACT
This conceptual paper presents a radical humanist framing of the relationship between human needs and social welfare. It draws and develops its conceptualisation of radical humanism from the early philosophical writings of Marx in which he identified the radical constitutive needs of the human species. It seeks to translate the definitive characteristics of humanity's ‘species being’ – namely consciousness, ‘work’, sociality and historical development – into overarching claims or social rights to autonomous thinking, creative activity, mutual caring and human progress. It argues for a ‘needs-first ethos’ from within which critically to evaluate welfare policy and practice, and through which to conceptualise approaches that humanise rather than dehumanise.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes on contributor
Hartley Dean is Emeritus Professor of Social Policy at the London School of Economics. His 30 year academic career had been preceded by a 12 year career as a community-based rights worker. His scholarly interests have stemmed from concerns with poverty, social justice and welfare rights. Most recently published books: Social Policy (3rd edn., Polity, 2019); Understanding Human Need (2nd edn., Bristol University Press, 2020).
Notes
1 The article draws and elaborates on these sources, particularly the latter, in which certain elements of the arguments which follow receive a fuller treatment than has been possible in this more closely focussed discussion.