Response: Basic Needs

In response to Justine Cozza's post on 4/20/12:

It is certainly true that some aspects of human behaviour are not products of choice, but are instead due to biological needs.  However, I think that these aspects are far fewer in number than many may believe.  For example, even the seemingly innate tendency to take care of one's own children does not exert such a strong influence that one cannot choose to ignore it.  People do neglect, abandon, or otherwise mistreat children every day.  Many other seemingly biological urges are similarly malleable or variable.  The urge to engage in physical conflict with those one dislikes may be somewhat innate for most people, but the majority of people learn fairly early on to ignore or otherwise divert that urge.  The urge to engage in sexual activities is also innate, and quite strong, for most people, and in many cases ignoring it can cause psychological problems and sometimes physical problems.  However, some people lack this urge, or find it relatively insignificant, so that choosing not to act upon it does them no harm.  Similarly, as far as I know, all human beings require sleep, but the amount of sleep they require varies widely.  As a straightforward example, the ideal amount of sleep I must get in order to function at full capacity is between seven and eight hours, whereas one of my friends requires only between four and five hours.  This makes 'human needs' very difficult to identify.  In the end, we may end up only with a very vague and extremely basic list including such things as air, food, water, sleep, and company (all variable in quantity, and the last only virtually universal).