Originally published in 1981, The Problem of Human Needs and the Critique of Civilisation is a sociological and philosophical exploration of how human needs are understood and addressed within the framework of civilization. It belongs to the author's life-long study of the presuppositions of, and preconditions to, the cycle of empires, including recently, Reading Hobbes Backwards: Leviathan the Papal Monarchy and Islam (2024), and earlier studies of Ancient Egypt, Royal Persons: Patriarchal Monarchy and the Feminine Principle (1990), and of the Assyrian, Babylonian and Islamic empires, Western Republicanism and the Oriental Prince (1992).
The book critically examines the historical and theoretical underpinnings of human needs, drawing on Marxist and other critical traditions to analyse the relationship between individual needs and societal structures. The author investigates the ways in which civilizations have historically failed to meet human needs adequately, critiquing the systems and ideologies that perpetuate inequality and alienation. The work also engages with the concept of human rights, questioning their historical development and the lack of consensus on their application.