Dal merito al bisogno: la svolta antropologica del Webfare

Ferraris, M., & Sacco, G.
Paradigmi
2026

In the last decades, a great number of philosophical theories have emphasized that a just society should move beyond the prevailing disregard for need and vulnerability that underlies the ideal of autonomy. This article examines some of these critiques, arguing that the way to overcome the anthropological contempt for need is to establish a Webfare: a digital welfare system that capitalizes on the value each human being generates – regardless of their talents and solely by virtue of existing – through the data they produce online. The paper shows how this vision of social change may more effectively foster an anthropological shift: from a society where autonomy and merit constitute the grounds of respect to one where individuals are valued for the mere fact of existing and striving to meet their own needs.

[Ferraris & Sacco, 2026] Ferraris, M., & Sacco, G. (2026). Dal merito al bisogno: la svolta antropologica del Webfare. Paradigmi, 1–15. doi:10.30460/120260