Wearedeeplysocialcreatures.Ourcoresocialneeds--formeaningfulsocialinclusion--aremoreimportantthanourcivilandpoliticalneedsandoureconomicwelfareneeds,andwewon’tsecurethoseotherthingsifourcoresocialneedsgounmet.Ourcoresocialneedsgroundahumanrightagainstsocialdeprivationaswellasahumanrighttohavetheresourcestosustainotherpeople.KimberleyBrownleedefendsthisfundamentalbutlargelyneglectedhumanright;havingdefinedsocialdeprivationasapersistentlackofminimallyadequateaccesstodecenthumancontact,shethendiscussessituationssuchassolitaryconfinementandincidentalisolation.Fleshingoutwhatitmeanstothers.Ourcoresocialneedscanclashwithoobelong,Brownleeconsiderswhylonelinessandweaksocialconnectionsarenotjustmoraltragedies,butofteninjustices,andarguesthatweenduresocialcontributioninjusticewhenwearedeniedthemeanstosustainurinterestsininteractiveandassociativefreedom,andwhentheydo,socialneedstakepriority.Wehaveadutytoensurethateveryonehastheopportunitytosatisfytheirsocialneeds.AsBrownleeasserts,weviolatethisdutyifweclassifysomepeopleasinescapablysociallythreatening,eitherthroughusingreductive,essentialistlanguagethatreducespeopletocertainactsortraits--’criminal’,’rapist’,’paedophile’,’foreigner’--orinthewayswephysicallysegregatesuchpeopleandfailtohelppeopletoreintegrateaftersegregation.
