Dear Matteo,
While it is clear that specific needs and desires are subjective, the
available definitions of the categories themselves are not value-free, and
are in contest with one another.
This links to a long history of attempting to define the difference between
needs and desires. You might find the following a useful short introduction
to that debate:
Tony Fry, 'Against an Essentialist Theory of Need: Some Considerations for
Design Theory' in his book Remakings: Ecology, Design, Philosophy (Sydney:
Envirobook, 1994) and an earlier version in the journal Design Issues (MIT
Press, Spring 1992).
best wishes,
Anne-Marie Willis
Editor, Design Philosophy Papers
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www.desphilosophy.com
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