what is the normative conception of political theory? elaborate.
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Normative means relating to an ideal standard or model, or being based on what is considered to be the normal or correct way of doing something.
Normative has specialized meanings in different academic disciplines such as philosophy, social sciences, and law.
In philosophy, normative statements make claims about how things should or ought to be, how to value them, which things are goodor bad, and which actions are right or wrong. Normative claims are usually contrasted withpositive (i.e. descriptive, explanatory, orconstative) claims when describing types oftheories, beliefs, or propositions. Positive statements are (purportedly) factual statements that attempt to describe reality.
For example, "children should eat vegetables", and "those who would sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither" are normative claims. On the other hand, "vegetables contain a relatively high proportion of vitamins", and "a common consequence of sacrificing liberty for security is a loss of both" are positive claims. Whether a statement is normative is logically independent of whether it is verified, verifiable, or popularly held.
There are several schools of thought regarding the status of normative statements and whether they can be rationally discussed or defended. Among these schools are the tradition of practical reason extending fromAristotle through Kant to Habermas, which asserts that they can, and the tradition ofemotivism, which maintains that they are merely expressions of emotions and have no cognitive content.
Normative statements and norms, as well as their meanings, are an integral part of human life. They are fundamental for prioritizing goals and organizing and planning. Thought,belief, emotion and action are the basis of much ethical and political discourse; indeed, normativity is arguably the key feature distinguishing ethical and political discourse from other discourses (such as natural science).
Much modern moral/ethical philosophy takes as its starting point the apparent variance between peoples and cultures regarding the ways they define what is considered to be appropriate/desirable/praiseworthy/valuable/good etc. (In other words, variance in how individuals, groups and societies define what is in accordance with their normative standards.) This has led philosophers such asA.J. Ayer and J.L. Mackie (for different reasons and in different ways) to cast doubt on the meaningfulness of normative statements. However, other philosophers, such as Christine Korsgaard, have argued for a source of normative value which is independent of individuals' subjective morality and which consequently attains (a lesser or greater degree of) objectivity.
Normative has specialized meanings in different academic disciplines such as philosophy, social sciences, and law.
In philosophy, normative statements make claims about how things should or ought to be, how to value them, which things are goodor bad, and which actions are right or wrong. Normative claims are usually contrasted withpositive (i.e. descriptive, explanatory, orconstative) claims when describing types oftheories, beliefs, or propositions. Positive statements are (purportedly) factual statements that attempt to describe reality.
For example, "children should eat vegetables", and "those who would sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither" are normative claims. On the other hand, "vegetables contain a relatively high proportion of vitamins", and "a common consequence of sacrificing liberty for security is a loss of both" are positive claims. Whether a statement is normative is logically independent of whether it is verified, verifiable, or popularly held.
There are several schools of thought regarding the status of normative statements and whether they can be rationally discussed or defended. Among these schools are the tradition of practical reason extending fromAristotle through Kant to Habermas, which asserts that they can, and the tradition ofemotivism, which maintains that they are merely expressions of emotions and have no cognitive content.
Normative statements and norms, as well as their meanings, are an integral part of human life. They are fundamental for prioritizing goals and organizing and planning. Thought,belief, emotion and action are the basis of much ethical and political discourse; indeed, normativity is arguably the key feature distinguishing ethical and political discourse from other discourses (such as natural science).
Much modern moral/ethical philosophy takes as its starting point the apparent variance between peoples and cultures regarding the ways they define what is considered to be appropriate/desirable/praiseworthy/valuable/good etc. (In other words, variance in how individuals, groups and societies define what is in accordance with their normative standards.) This has led philosophers such asA.J. Ayer and J.L. Mackie (for different reasons and in different ways) to cast doubt on the meaningfulness of normative statements. However, other philosophers, such as Christine Korsgaard, have argued for a source of normative value which is independent of individuals' subjective morality and which consequently attains (a lesser or greater degree of) objectivity.
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