The Origins of the Approach: Berkeley's The Querist

Query 2, Section 1: Whether a people can be called poor, where the common Sort are well fed, cloathed, and lodged?

These three items: food, shelter and clothing are often referred to as basic needs by Sen and other development economists. There are many other basic needs such as sustainable access to clean water but for Berkeley's purposes these are the top three. Necessities, or capabilities like these are an intrical part of the capabilities approach.

Query 7, 1: Whether the real End and Aim of Men be not Power? And whether he who could have every Thing else at his Wish or Will, would value Money?

Query 8, 1: Whether the public Aim in every well govern'd State be not, that each Member, according to his just Pretensions and Industry, should have Power.

Query 9, 1: Whether Power be not refered to Action; and whether Action doth not follow Appetite or Will? (See Emulation)

These three queries deal with a variety of issues like emulation, consumption but most importantly, freedom and power. Sen goes into great detail about positive freedoms and negative freedoms. Positive freedoms enhance life and our personal freedom. Negative freedoms give us freedom from coercion such as murder, rape or enslavement. Berkeley is trying to say that the goal of every state should be that everyone has power, or the capability to do what is necessary for their freedoms, and that might also be the end result of the capabilities approach as well.

Query 18, 1: Whether frugal Fashions in the upper Rank, and comfortable Living in the lower, be not the Means to multiply Inhabitants?

Query 20, 1: Whether the creating of Wants be not the likeliest way to produce Industry in a People? And whether if our Peasants were accustomed to eat Beef, and wear Shoes, they would not be more Industrious?

These two queries address aspects of the capabilities theory in terms of development and well being. Population growth is a contested point in development economics about whether it serves to stimulate economic growth and development or merely continues the cycle of poverty. Berkeley here is on the side of more population leads to a higher rate of economic growth. He also in Query 18 shows his want to have a less stratified society. "Comfortable Living" and "Peasants ... accustomed to eat Beef, and wear Shoes..." show from Berkeleys point of view that increasing these basic needs, or basic capabilities will lead to a society functioning at a higher level. Query 20 also points out the need for a consumption class. Berkeley demonstrates that in order to produce industry a population must have wants.

Query 37, 1: Whether Power to command the Industry of others be not real Wealth? And whether Money be not, in Truth, Tickets or Tokens for converying and recording such Power, and whether it be of great Consequence what Materials the Tickets are made of?

Query 37 can be though of as two things. First, Berkeley's definition of wealth which has little to do with money and more to do with industry power. Secondly, Berkeley is casting an aspersion on paper money and what its true value is. In Berkeley's approach the best end for a society would be for everyone to have equal power, or in this case, equal tokens of power. Emulation

Query 10, Section 1: Whether Fashion doth not create Appetites, and whether the prevailing Will of a Nation is not the Fashion?

Query 14, Section 1: Whether reasonable Fashions are a greater restraint on Freedom than those with are unreasonable?

Query 18, 1: Whether the imitating those Neighbours in our Fashions, to whom we bear no Likness in our Circumstances, be not one Cause of Distress to this Nation?

Group 6: Amartya Sen's Capabilities Approach