Lotter, H.P.P. (Hendrik Petrus Pienaar)2009-11-122009-11-1220072007Lötter, HPP 2007. 'Defining poverty as distinctively human', HTS Teologiese Studies/ Theological Studies, vol. 63, no. 3, pp. 1195-1212. [http://www.hts.org.za/index.php/HTS/issue/archive]0259-9422 (print)2072-8050 (online)http://hdl.handle.net/2263/11824While it is relatively easy for most people to identify human beings suffering from poverty, it is rather more difficult to come to a proper understanding of poverty. In this article the author wants to deepen our understanding of poverty by interpreting the conventional definitions of poverty in a new light. The article starts with a defence of a claim that poverty is a concept uniquely applicable to humans. It then present a critical discussion of the distinction between absolute and relative poverty and it is then argued that a revision of this distinction can provide general standards applicable to humans everywhere.enFaculty of Theology, University of PretoriaPoverty -- Religious aspectsHuman behaviorSufferingArticle