The Distinction Between
Positive and Normative Statements
(ECONOMICS, Lipsey, Purvis, Sparks,
Steiner, 1982, p.20)
Positive statements concern
what is, was, or will be. Normative
statements concern what ought to be.
Positive statements, assertions,
or theories may be simple or complex, but they are basically about matters
of fact.
Disagreements over positive
statements are appropriately settled by an
appeal to the facts.
Normative statements, because
they concern what ought to be, are inextricably bound up with philosophical,
cultural, and religious systems. A normative statement is one that
makes, or is based on, a value judgement - a judgement what is good and
what is bad.
Disagreements over normative
statements cannot be settled merely by an
appeal to the facts.
Example: Whick statement
is positive? Which statement is normative?
It is impossible to break up
atoms.
Scientists ought not to break
up atoms.
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