Natural kinds: A concept introduced by Saul Kripke to refer to basic names like those for water or the human species which retain their meaning in every context whatever, and which are “rigid designators” of their referents, not merely conventional signs but necessary in all worlds. Source: ‘What is Good? What is Bad? The Value of All… Read More

Nature: In the broadest terms, the totality of what exists at all levels in the universe. In its narrower signification, nature refers to the non-humanly constructed environment of life and life-support systems. In the history of speculative metaphysics, nature also refers to the essence of things, or that defining feature which distinguishes kinds of things from… Read More

Need: That without which life capacity is reduced. An objective requirement of continued organic existence and health. Source: ‘What is Good? What is Bad? The Value of All Values across Time, Place and Theories’ by John McMurtry, Philosophy and World Problems, Volume I-III, UNESCO in partnership with Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems: Oxford, 2004-11. 

Needs: The universal means or resources required to maintain life (satisfy life-interests) and realize life-value. The real life-requirements of living beings, defined by Prof John McMurtry as that without which their organic capacities are reduced. Source: ‘What is Good? What is Bad? The Value of All Values across Time, Place and Theories’ by John McMurtry, Philosophy and World… Read More

Needs assessment: A systematic procedure for determining the nature and extent of health needs in a population, the causes and contributing factors to those needs and the human, organizational and community resources which are available to respond to these. Reference: Modified definition (Last, 2001; Wright, 2001) Needs assessment is an early step in planning a… Read More

Negation: The denial of a sentence. Source: ‘What is Good? What is Bad? The Value of All Values across Time, Place and Theories’ by John McMurtry, Philosophy and World Problems, Volume I-III, UNESCO in partnership with Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems: Oxford, 2004-11. 

Negative Dialectics: Adorno’s term for a relentlessly critical form of thought that refuses to accept any conceptual synthesis as adequate to the reality it conceives. Source: ‘What is Good? What is Bad? The Value of All Values across Time, Place and Theories’ by John McMurtry, Philosophy and World Problems, Volume I-III, UNESCO in partnership with Encyclopedia of Life Support… Read More

Network: A grouping of individuals, organizations and agencies organized on a nonhierarchical basis around common issues or concerns, which are pursued proactively and systematically, based on commitment and trust. Reference: new definition WHO actively initiates and maintains several health promotion networks around key settings and issues. These include, for example, the intersectoral healthy cities network,… Read More

No Harm Principle: One ought to act so that one’s actions tend not to harm any one. Source: ‘What is Good? What is Bad? The Value of All Values across Time, Place and Theories’ by John McMurtry, Philosophy and World Problems, Volume I-III, UNESCO in partnership with Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems: Oxford, 2004-11. 

Nominalism: See Universals. Source: ‘What is Good? What is Bad? The Value of All Values across Time, Place and Theories’ by John McMurtry, Philosophy and World Problems, Volume I-III, UNESCO in partnership with Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems: Oxford, 2004-11.