Normative statement
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]
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]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Normative Economics". Business Dictionary. Archived from the original on 23 December 2007. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
- ^ a b Lipsey, Richard G. (1975). An Introduction to Positive Economics (4th ed.). Weidenfeld & Nicolson. pp. 4–6. ISBN 978-0-297-76899-9.
External links[edit]
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