Modern moral, legal, economic and political thought is characterised by an unwarranted glorification of the virtues of justice and welfare at the expense of political participation, democratic sovereignty, and the satisfaction of human needs. This characteristic of contemporary thought is closely associated with the current predominance of very abstract and theoretical approaches to politics as opposed to practical forms of political philosophy: moral principles and technical formulae are developed in lieu of an understanding of politics as collective evaluation and decision as determined by the need to act. For example, Kantian rights theory and prevalent forms of utilitarianism adopt opposing political philosophies that reduce politics to either the security of individual human rights or the aggregation of individual preferences. This has the effect of prioritising and sanctifying individual rights on the one hand, and individual preferences on the other. By contrast, in practice, politics is characterised by the constant accommodation of rights and preferences within a larger framework of collective human action. And this practical accommodation is normally based in considerations of human needs. The prevalent exclusive focus on justice and welfare provides little scope for understanding these central elements of politics. Thus it impoverishes our understanding of liberal democratic politics, and stifles practical proposals for transforming that politics.

In order to overcome these problems I develop and defend an approach to theorising and practising politics that is based on a political understanding and conception of human needs.