The economics of the satisfaction of needs
This paper is a proposal for the development of an econ­ omics 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, distribu tion, 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 tech­ nological development is making this proposal possible, parti­ cularly because the satisfaction of most of the psychological and sociocultural needs relies mainly on gratuitous relations
Vendredi ou les limbes du Pacifique
Michel Tournier's Vendredi ou les limbes du Pacifique presents an odyssey of Robinson's personal development which explicitly tackles the philosophical and psychological problematic of Self and Other a problematic which, as we know, is magnified and thrown into relief by the literal isolation of the protagonist. I would like to chart this particular Robinson's search for a solution to the problems of solitude and alterity by considering two of the novel's narrative strands, tracing, on the one hand, Robinson's physical and erotic development, and on the other hand the evolution of his relationship with language. I shall first point to the type of personal evolution these two themes appear to portray, and then focus a little more closely on the novel's conclusion, to see whether initial appearances are fully borne out. Robinson's sexual development constitutes perhaps the dominant narrative of Tournier's novel. When he first arrives on the island, he is already married and the father of a family, and his
Same-Sex Marriage in the United States
This Chapter gives a brief analysis of the status of same-sex marriage in the United States prior to the US Supreme Court decisions of 2013 and the status of litigation and political reforms triggered in part by these court decisions. It shows that marriage is a central institution in the country’s rationale of family law in ways that separate it from other western countries that have allowed same-sex marriage.