Normative statement

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In many disciplines, including economics and philosophy, a normative statement expresses a value judgment about the desirability of a situation. Whereas a descriptive statement (also known as a positive statement) is meant to describe the world as it is, a normative statement is meant to talk about the world as it should be. [1]

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For instance, "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". [2]

In economics, normative statements form the basis of normative economics. [2]

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Positive is a property of positivity and may refer to:

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Normativity</span> Relating to an evaluative standard

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The fact–value distinction is a fundamental epistemological distinction described between:

  1. Statements of fact, based upon reason and physical observation, and which are examined via the empirical method.
  2. Statements of value, which encompass ethics and aesthetics, and are studied via axiology.

In the social sciences and philosophy, a positive or descriptive statement concerns what "is", "was", or "will be", excluding statements of what is, was or will be moral. Positive statements are thus the opposite of normative statements. Positive statements are 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 statements 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.

<i>Essays in Positive Economics</i>

Milton Friedman's book Essays in Positive Economics (1953) is a collection of earlier articles by the author with as its lead an original essay "The Methodology of Positive Economics." This essay posits Friedman's famous, but controversial, principle that assumptions need not be "realistic" to serve as scientific hypotheses; they merely need to make significant predictions.

In the most general terms, a reason is a consideration which justifies or explains an action, a belief, an attitude, or a fact.

Normative in academic disciplines means relating to an ideal standard or model, and in particular a normative statement is a statement that affirms how things should or ought to be, that is how to value them.

References

  1. "Normative Economics". Business Dictionary. Archived from the original on 23 December 2007. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  2. 1 2 Lipsey, Richard G. (1975). An Introduction to Positive Economics (4th ed.). Weidenfeld & Nicolson. pp. 4–6. ISBN   978-0-297-76899-9.