Social Democracy and Human Nature

Abstract

Traditionally, the Social Democratic welfare state has been defined by its commitment to the institutions of democratic government that supplement the market with provisions providing citizens with an increasing range of universal rights to basic standards of living in economic, social and family life (see Briggs 1961, 228; Lowe 1993, 13–14). These provisions aim to circumvent some of the uncertainties of unfettered market capitalism in order to secure a sustainable capitalist economy for the different needs of individuals and basic welfare provision for their shared needs (see Cutler et al. 1986). Although this project is often spelt out in concrete social and economic terms, its justification rests on a specific set of metaphysical propositions about human nature, namely arguments about the basic human needs individuals share which must be met to enable them to pursue their own ends as free and responsible citizens in the family, community and economy.