Martha C. Nussbaum- The Central Human Capabilities

What are the central human capabilities?

The Central Human Functional Capabilities are: life, bodily health and integrity, bodily integrity, sense, emotions, practical reason, affiliation, other species, play, and control over ones environment. Nussbaum lists these as parts of our everyday lives. But not everyone can fulfill all of these goals. Nussbaum asserts, “We can not satisfy the need for one of them by giving a larger amount of another one”.(216). The government and people must practice these capabilities and help everyone achieve equality in society, but Nussbaum believes no one should force concepts on the way of life upon any individual, rather that an important part is the choice of actions they take in stepping towards fulfilling these 10 capabilities. “The capabilities approach, as I conceived it, claims that a life that lacks any one of these capabilities, no matter what else it has, will fall short of being a good human life”(Nussbaum 216). Nussbaum claims that the government should not try to build a systematic nature, but let people create it themselves and work with them to help all areas that are lacking certain capabilities. She wants this to be achieved by the matter of choice, because individuals all have that freedom. I think that consistency of control of the human capabilities with the events of life make her theory hard. Because she sets high standards for “ a good human life” and the work of individuals as in Rawls theory to all help for a common good to reach a total equality is what seems to be needed to aide this view.


Works Cited
Nussbaum, Martha C. "The Central Human Functional Capabilities." A World of Ideas: Essential Reading for College Writers. Ed. Lee A. Jacobus. 7th ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martins. 2006. pp. 213-221.