ABSTRACT
The theory of needs is of very recent origin. The pioneering research into individual human needs was conducted by Abraham Maslow. Classification of basic needs from the point of view of individual development is not the same as their classification from the point of view of social system design. The precondition for the development of capitalism was the establishment of a free market. This, in turn, required that the political restrictions of feudalism be removed and political freedoms be made available not only for the aristocracy but for the bourgeoisie as well. Needs are satisfied by work. This is true not only in the trivial sense that work produces goods and services for consumption, but also in the more important sense that work is an essential human activity. Work is a complex activity with several dimensions. The development of capitalism and etatism is accompanied by a decomposition of work along its various dimensions.
