IB Philosophy 10.6.2 Central Human Capabilities Notes

The List and Its Purpose

1. As introduced in 10.6.1, Martha Nussbaum argues that justice requires guaranteeing every person a threshold level of central human capabilities. In Creating Capabilities, she specifies a list of ten capabilities that define the minimum conditions for a life worthy of human dignity.
2. The list is not intended as a comprehensive account of the good life. It is a partial and minimal theory of justice: it identifies the floor below which no person should fall, while leaving individuals free to pursue their own conception of flourishing above that floor.
   1. This preserves pluralism about how to live well, respecting different conceptions of the good life.
3. Nussbaum derives the list from a broadly Aristotelian conception of human functioning. Aristotle argued that the good life consists in the active exercise of distinctively human capacities.
   1. Nussbaum adapts this by asking: what must a person be able to do and be in order to live a characteristically human life?
4. The list is also shaped by Kantian commitments. Each capability reflects the principle that persons must be treated as ends in themselves.
   1. A society that fails to secure any one of the ten capabilities treats its members as instruments rather than as bearers of inherent dignity.
5. Unlike Amartya Sen, who deliberately leaves the list open and subject to democratic deliberation, Nussbaum insists on specifying the capabilities philosophically. Her reasoning is that without a fixed list, the most vulnerable members of society may find their needs excluded by majoritarian politics.
6. Nussbaum stresses that the list is open and revisable through cross-cultural dialogue, but that its core structure reflects considered judgements about what human dignity requires. The list has been revised since its first formulation in the 1990s, demonstrating that it is a living document rather than a dogmatic decree.

Non-fungibility and the Threshold

1. Each capability on the list is qualitatively distinct and irreducible to the others. This means that a surplus in one capability (such as wealth) cannot compensate for a deficit in another (such as political participation).
   1. Nussbaum calls this the principle of non-fungibility.
2. The non-fungibility principle has profound implications for distributive justice (7.2.2). It means that economic growth alone can never satisfy the demands of justice; a nation must ensure that each distinct capability is secured for each individual person.
3. This connects to the Core Theme of Being Human (Unit 1). The list is, in effect, a philosophical answer to the question "what does it mean to live a fully human life?" It translates the abstract question of human nature (1.5.1) into a concrete set of conditions that political institutions must fulfil.

The Ten Central Capabilities

1. Life: the capability to live a human life of normal length, not cut short prematurely. This includes protection from violence, preventable disease, and conditions that make life not worth living.
   1. This capability grounds the most basic right: the right to continued existence, placing an obligation on states to prevent premature death.
2. Bodily Health: the capability to enjoy good health, including adequate nourishment and adequate shelter. Nussbaum argues that a society that allows preventable malnutrition or homelessness fails this capability, regardless of its aggregate wealth.
3. Bodily Integrity: the capability to move freely from place to place, to be secure against violent assault (including sexual assault and domestic violence), and to have opportunities for sexual satisfaction and choice in matters of reproduction. This capability is particularly relevant to debates about gender politics (8.3.3).