Q0536
“The capabilities approach asks not only about people's total or average well-being…” — Martha Nussbaum (Creating Capabilities (2011), Ch. 2)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Creating Capabilities (2011), Ch. 2. Theme: freedom.
English
The capabilities approach asks not only about people's total or average well-being but about what each person is able to do and to be.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Creating Capabilities (2011), Ch. 2 and files it under Political Liberalism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Martha Nussbaum
Martha Nussbaum (b. 1947) is an American philosopher whose work spans ancient Greek ethics, emotions, and contemporary political liberalism.
How to read this passage
Philosophers distinguish several ideas under the single word freedom. Negative freedom emphasizes non-interference; positive freedom emphasizes the capacity to act according to reasons, virtue, or authentic desire. This passage enters that discussion through freedom, justice, happiness.
Concepts in this quote
- Freedom
- Freedom is among the most searched and most contested themes in philosophy: what it is to choose, to be responsible, and to live without illegitimate constraint.
- Justice
- Justice concerns fairness, rights, desert, and the arrangement of institutions that claim to treat people as equals.
- Happiness
- Happiness—or flourishing—is a central aim in ethics: what makes a life go well, and whether pleasure alone is enough.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Martha Nussbaum. (n.d.). The capabilities approach asks not only about people's total or average well-being but about what each person is able to do and to be. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0536
MLA: Martha Nussbaum. “The capabilities approach asks not only about people's….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0536.
Chicago: Martha Nussbaum. “The capabilities approach asks not only about people's….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0536.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “The capabilities approach asks not only about people's…”?
The passage is attributed to Martha Nussbaum, Creating Capabilities (2011), Ch. 2. The archive attributes this English wording to Creating Capabilities (2011), Ch. 2 and files it under Political Liberalism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Martha Nussbaum mean by freedom?
Philosophers distinguish several ideas under the single word freedom. Negative freedom emphasizes non-interference; positive freedom emphasizes the capacity to act according to reasons, virtue, or authentic desire. This passage enters that discussion through freedom, justice, happiness.