“Is that “need” you identified predicated on the dependents still being your dependents at the time the insurance claim would become payable?”
Yes. I’m not buying life insurance just so my kids can be rich, if that’s what you’re asking. If at any point I knew that my dependents would no longer be dependents when I die, I would cancel my policy. Insurance is generally a bad bet. You don’t buy it just to get rich.
“Is that need a certainty, as is the need for an income to live in the here and now, that you compared the two?”
I don’t need an income to live right now. I have enough savings to live for a bit. Does that mean I shouldn’t work? Though I could die tomorrow, in which case my dependents would require my life insurance benefits to survive very soon.