A dependent, rational animal

Sara Hendren interviewed by Krista Tippet on On Being. talks at length about reframing disability to think about how we are all dependent.  

"Alasdair MacIntyre, who’s a philosopher, famously said that the human body, the human animal, the human creature is a dependent, rational animal. So, dependence is part of a three-legged stool that makes us who we are. That’s almost like a metaphysical statement that we need each other. We could have an evolutionary biology explanation for that. “Well, we need each other as a kind of consequence. We make do when we cope by needing each other to cooperate.” But there’s something quite profound about how social we are, how frail we are, finally. How none of us escapes that kind of being in the subject position of both the giver and the receiver of help. That’s what we’re talking about."

In another part of the interview, she talks about how "interdependent" is not exactly right.

"William May. And here again, I think — so he’s talking about, yes, the unbidden as constitutive of the good. So, the unchosen features of our lives. And here again, I think at least in this country, in a contemporary way, there is a kind of romanticization of interdependence. And we say, “Well, we need each other and let’s not overdo it with the individualism, mutual aid, and so on.” But, I see people kind of hedge and say, “Well, as long as you’re choosing the people to be interdependent with.” And I always think that’s not how it works. Obligation, in other words, is seen as diminishment."

(from Google Books)

In Dependent Rational Animals, Alasdair MacIntyre compares humans to other intelligent animals, ultimately drawing remarkable conclusions about human social life and our treatment of those whom he argues we should no longer call "disabled." MacIntyre argues that human beings are independent, practical reasoners, but they are also dependent animals who must learn from each other in order to remain largely independent. To flourish, humans must acknowledge the importance of dependence and independence, both of which are developed in and through social relationships. This requires the development of a local community in which individuals discover their own "goods" through the discovery of a common Good.