The Difference Between Need and Desire
Need is a basic requirement of an organism for its health and survival. It differs from want in that it is required to live a healthy life. The deficiency of a need can lead to functional dysfunction or death. Without a need, the organism would not be able to survive or develop. In contrast, a want is a wish that can develop into a need as a result of economic pressures. In this article, we will explore the difference between a need and a desire.
A need is a basic requirement for a person to exist. It is a basic need that people have. Whether it is food, clothing, shelter, or medical care, people prioritize their physiological needs over other needs. This is the same as saying that a person’s need for food, clothing, and shelter is more important than buying expensive things. If a person is hungry or thirsty, they will first go out and buy some food. A thirst or a hunger is also a need.
The need can be expressed in different ways. Some experts view it as an instrumental need, which means that a person desires a certain outcome. In contrast, others argue that a need is non-instrumental. One such term is teleological need, which expresses the gap between an individual’s current status and a desired one. The difference between a teleological need and a material need depends on whether the person is aiming to improve the quality of their life.
Needs can be described as a requirement, an urgent need, or an indigent need. Other synonyms include poverty, indigence, or destitution. It is also possible to define a need as the absence of means for subsistence. The definition of a need is not fixed, but rather it can be subjective. If a person is deprived of the means to meet their needs, they are suffering from poverty, indigence, or destitution and therefore may suffer from this.
In other words, a need is a necessity for a person to live. Some experts define a need as a need that is essential for survival. However, others use it as a general word that has multiple meanings. In addition to a literal need, it can also be a need for health. While both words describe the need for a physical thing, the need for a teleological need involves an improvement in the quality of life of the person.
A need is the desire for something to happen. If a person does not have a certain need, it is not necessary to meet it. It is a symptom of poverty. It does not cause a problem for another person. It is a condition of lack of means. It is a symptom of poverty, and a symptom of indigence. Hence, a need is a ‘protest of the lack of means’.