Reflection Questions
Session 3: Human Development and the Capabilities Approach
Post-Lecture Reflection
Now that you’ve learned about Amartya Sen’s and Martha Nussbaum’s approaches to capabilities, reflect on the exercise we did at the beginning of class.
Question 1: Comparing Your List to Nussbaum’s
Martha Nussbaum’s 10 Central Capabilities:
- Life (being able to live a normal lifespan)
- Bodily health (including nourishment, shelter)
- Bodily integrity (freedom of movement, security, reproductive choice)
- Senses, imagination, and thought (education, expression)
- Emotions (being able to love, grieve, feel)
- Practical reason (being able to form conception of good life)
- Affiliation (being able to live with others, social respect)
- Other species (being able to live with concern for nature)
- Play (being able to laugh, enjoy recreation)
- Control over one’s environment (political and material)
Your reflection:
What overlaps between your list and Nussbaum’s?
What did you include that Nussbaum didn’t?
What did Nussbaum include that you didn’t?
Question 2: The Sen-Nussbaum Debate
Which philosopher’s approach resonates more with you?
☐ Martha Nussbaum’s approach: We need a clear, universal list to hold governments accountable and protect human dignity
☐ Amartya Sen’s approach: Each society should democratically deliberate and decide which capabilities matter most in their context
Question 3: Explain Your Position
Why does this approach resonate with you?
Can you think of a concrete example where your position would lead to different development policy than the alternative position?
Question 4: Critical Reflection
What are potential problems or limitations with the approach you chose?
Question 5: The Exercise Experience
Did your thinking about universal versus context-specific approaches change during the class discussion? If so, how?
Additional resources and readings
See the course website
Optional: Submit your reflections to the Moodle forum or keep them for your own study notes.