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Introduction:
John Burton's theory of basic human needs is widely accepted.
However, Kevin Avruch, a cultural anthropology professor at George Mason University's
Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, doubts that
basic human needs are the same for everyone everywhere.
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This rough transcript provides a text alternative to audio. We apologize for occasional errors and unintelligible sections (which are marked with ???).
Human Rights v. Human Needs
Kevin Avruch
Professor of Conflict Analysis and Resolution, George Mason University
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Q: I do have one more question. You mentioned basic human needs at the
outset., so do you dispute the nature of such grand theories like even basic
human needs?
A: In fact what I disputed mostly was John Burton's logic and the way that he
deployed those terms. Depending on how you define basic human needs, they exist,
respiration, nutrition, and reproduction, for example. Of course there are basic
human needs but when you get beyond that, like the need for identity, that looks
different in quote individualistic and collectivist cultures. When you talk about a
need for security as a basic human need then I think you are loading a lot of
cultural assumptions into that. I think that basic human needs are as good a eristic as any to start from. I think that in terms of resolving intractable
conflicts when you try to operationalize those terms they become much more
complex and much more fuzzy. Very often what happens is you think you are
designing something to address basic human needs like security when in fact you
are not.
Q: It doesn't get interpreted that way?
A: It doesn't get interpreted that way.
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