Normative statement
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
(Difference between revisions)
| Revision as of 08:01, 27 February 2018 Jahsonic (Talk | contribs) ← Previous diff |
Revision as of 08:02, 27 February 2018 Jahsonic (Talk | contribs) Next diff → |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| {{Template}} | {{Template}} | ||
| - | In the [[social science|social sciences]] and [[philosophy]], a '''positive''' or '''descriptive statement''' concerns what "is", "was", or "will be", and contains no indication of approval or disapproval (what should be). Positive statements are thus the opposite of [[normative statement|normative statements]]. Positive statement is based on empirical evidence. For examples, "An increase in taxation will result in less consumption" and "A fall in supply of petrol will lead to an increase in its price". However, positive statement can be factually incorrect: "The moon is made of green cheese" is empirically false, but is still a positive statement, as it is a statement about what is, not what should be. | + | In [[economics]] and [[philosophy]], a '''normative statement''' expresses a value judgment about whether a situation is desirable or undesirable. It looks at the world as it "should" be. "The world would be a better place if [[The Moon is made of green cheese|the moon were made of green cheese]]" is a normative statement because it expresses a judgment about what ought to be. Normative statements are characterised by the modal verbs "should", "would", "could" or "must". They form the basis of [[normative economics]], and are the opposite of [[positive statement]]s. For further information see [[normative science]]. |
| - | == Positive statements and normative statements == | ||
| - | Positive statements are distinct from normative statements. Positive statements are based on empirical evidence, can be tested, and involve no value judgements. Positive statements refer to '''what is''' and contain no indication of approval or disapproval. When values or opinions come into the analysis, then it is in the realm of normative economics. A '''normative''' statement expresses a judgment about whether a situation is desirable or undesirable, which can carry value judgements. These refer to '''what ought to be.''' | ||
| - | |||
| - | == Use of positive statement == | ||
| - | Positive statements are widely used to describe something measurable, like the rate of inflation in an economy. They are mainly used in explanations of theories and concepts. Using a positive statement does not mean you can't have your own opinions on issues. However, when you are writing academic essays it's important to use positive statements to support an argument, since it can be verified by evidence. | ||
| - | |||
| - | == See also == | ||
| - | *[[Falsifiability]] | ||
| - | *[[Positivism]] | ||
| - | *[[Normative statement]] | ||
| {{GFDL}} | {{GFDL}} | ||
Revision as of 08:02, 27 February 2018
|
Related e |
|
Featured: |
In economics and philosophy, a normative statement expresses a value judgment about whether a situation is desirable or undesirable. It looks at the world as it "should" be. "The world would be a better place if the moon were made of green cheese" is a normative statement because it expresses a judgment about what ought to be. Normative statements are characterised by the modal verbs "should", "would", "could" or "must". They form the basis of normative economics, and are the opposite of positive statements. For further information see normative science.
Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "Normative statement" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.
