正义理论语境下“需要的客观性”分析

Objectivity of Need:Philosophical Analysis in the Context of the Theory of Justice

“需要”具有某种区别于想要、欲求和偏好的客观性。这种客观性表现在对需要的判断脱离了需要者的心理状态,而依赖于某些客观的标准和外在的权威。通过对“伤害”观念的考察,发现伤害的客观性同样依赖于生活目的的普遍必然性。因而需要的客观性不能建立在伤害的客观性之基础上,它们都以共享的生活目的为前提。尽管现代社会的多元性对生活目的的普遍必然性提出了严肃的挑战,但得益于“个体/公民”这样的现代道德建制,我们依然能够在某些限制之下拟定公民的客观需要,并说明如果他们的“需要没有被满足”,他们在何种意义上会“受到客观的伤害”。

Needs have a certain objectivity that distinguishes them from wants,desires and preferences.This objectivity is manifested in the fact that the judgment of need is independent of the mental state of the needy and dependent on certain objective criteria and external authority.By examining the concept of harm,it is found that the objectivity of harm is similarly dependent on the universality and necessity of the purpose of life.Thus,the objectivity of need cannot be based on the objectivity of harm;they both presuppose a shared purpose of life.Although the diversity of modern society poses a serious challenge to the universality and necessity of purpose of life,by virtue of the modern moral institution(individ ual/citizen),we are still able to formulate the objective needs of citizens under certain constraints and to show in what sense they are objectively harmed if their needs are not met.