Need

Need is the first moment of the **life process** (Ch. 19.2) and the manifestation of **"being-for-itself"** as a moment of self-relation (Ch. 19.1). It is the **felt lack** (e.g., hunger, thirst), the "self-relation through negation." Need is not merely mechanical (like an empty tank), but is felt by the living system as **suffering from lack**. It is negative (something is missing) and at the same time positive (the organism knows what it lacks). From need springs the **drive** (Ch. 19.2, 19.8).