Normative Data: How to Collect, Analyze, and Interpret It

What is Normative?

Have you ever wondered what makes something right or wrong, good or bad, normal or abnormal? Have you ever followed a rule or a standard because everyone else did or because you thought it was the best thing to do? Have you ever made a judgment or a recommendation based on your values or preferences? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you have encountered the concept of normative.

normative

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Normative is a term that can be used to describe standards, rules, values, or judgments that guide human behavior and choices. Normative can also refer to something that is typical, expected, or desirable in a given context. Normative is a word that can be applied to many different fields and disciplines, such as ethics, law, economics, psychology, sociology, philosophy, linguistics, statistics, and more. In this article, we will explore the meaning and usage of normative in some of these fields and how it affects our lives.

Normative is a term that can be used to describe standards, rules, values, or judgments that guide human behavior and choices. Normative can also refer to something that is typical, expected, or desirable in a given context. Normative is a word that can be applied to many different fields and disciplines, such as ethics, law, economics, psychology, sociology, philosophy, linguistics, statistics, and more. In this article, we will explore the meaning and usage of normative in some of these fields and how it affects our lives.

Normative vs. Descriptive

One of the most common ways to understand normative is to contrast it with descriptive. Descriptive means describing or explaining something as it is, without making any value judgments or prescriptions. Normative means prescribing or evaluating something as it should be, based on some norms or standards. For example:

• A descriptive statement is: "The sky is blue." A normative statement is: "The sky should be blue."

• A descriptive approach is: "This is how people behave in this situation." A normative approach is: "This is how people ought to behave in this situation."

• A descriptive claim is: "This policy will have this effect." A normative claim is: "This policy is good or bad."

Normative and descriptive statements or approaches can be found in various fields and disciplines. For instance:

• In ethics, normative ethics deals with the principles and values that determine what actions are morally right or wrong. Descriptive ethics deals with the empirical study of how people actually behave and think morally.

• In law, normative legal theory deals with the justification and evaluation of legal rules and institutions. Descriptive legal theory deals with the description and explanation of how law works in practice.

• In economics, normative economics deals with the goals and recommendations for economic policies and outcomes. Positive economics deals with the facts and predictions of economic phenomena.

• In psychology, normative psychology deals with the norms and expectations that shape human behavior and cognition. Descriptive psychology deals with the observation and measurement of human behavior and cognition.

Normative and descriptive reasoning have their advantages and disadvantages. Normative reasoning can help us to clarify our values and goals, to justify our actions and decisions, and to improve our situations and outcomes. However, normative reasoning can also be biased, subjective, unrealistic, or impractical. Descriptive reasoning can help us to understand reality and facts, to explain causes and effects, and to predict outcomes and consequences. However, descriptive reasoning can also be incomplete, inaccurate, irrelevant, or misleading.

Types of Normativity

Another way to understand normative is to explore the concept of normativity. Normativity is the phenomenon in human societies of designating some actions or outcomes as good, desirable, or permissible, and others as bad, undesirable, or impermissible. A norm in this sense means a standard for evaluating or making judgments about behavior or outcomes.

Norms can have different sources and functions. They can be derived from nature, reason, religion, culture, history, or authority. They can serve to regulate, guide, motivate, or justify human behavior and choices. Based on these sources and functions, we can identify different types of normativity:

• Moral normativity: This type of normativity deals with the moral values and principles that govern what actions are right or wrong, good or bad, virtuous or vicious. Moral norms are often based on natural law, divine command, human dignity, or social contract. Moral norms aim to promote human well-being, justice, and rights.

• Legal normativity: This type of normativity deals with the legal rules and institutions that regulate what actions are lawful or unlawful, permitted or prohibited, enforceable or punishable. Legal norms are often based on positive law, customary law, or constitutional law. Legal norms aim to maintain social order, security, and peace.

type of normativity deals with the social norms and expectations that influence what actions are normal or abnormal, acceptable or unacceptable, appropriate or inappropriate. Social norms are often based on culture, tradition, or convention. Social norms aim to facilitate social interaction, cooperation, and cohesion.

• Rational normativity: This type of normativity deals with the rational standards and criteria that determine what actions are logical or illogical, consistent or inconsistent, valid or invalid. Rational norms are often based on reason, evidence, or argument. Rational norms aim to enhance human knowledge, understanding, and reasoning.

• Aesthetic normativity: This type of normativity deals with the aesthetic values and judgments that affect what actions are beautiful or ugly, pleasing or displeasing, elegant or clumsy. Aesthetic norms are often based on taste, style, or creativity. Aesthetic norms aim to express human emotions, feelings, and imagination.

These types of normativity are not mutually exclusive or exhaustive. They can overlap, complement, or conflict with each other. For example, an action can be morally right but legally wrong, socially acceptable but rationally invalid, aesthetically pleasing but morally dubious, etc. Moreover, there can be other types of normativity that are not listed here, such as religious normativity, political normativity, epistemic normativity, etc.

Normative Ethics

One of the most important and influential fields that uses the term normative is ethics. Ethics is the branch of philosophy that studies the moral values and principles that guide human behavior and choices. Normative ethics is the subfield of ethics that deals with the formulation and evaluation of moral norms. Normative ethics tries to answer questions such as: What makes an action right or wrong? What are the criteria for moral judgment? What are the goals and values of morality? What are the duties and obligations of moral agents?

Normative ethics can be divided into three main approaches: consequentialism, deontology, and virtue ethics. Each approach has its own strengths and weaknesses.

• Consequentialism: This approach holds that the moral value of an action depends on its consequences or outcomes. An action is right if it produces the best possible results for the greatest number of people. An action is wrong if it causes harm or suffering to anyone. The most famous version of consequentialism is utilitarianism, which defines the best outcome as the one that maximizes happiness or utility. Consequentialism is appealing because it is simple, objective, and impartial. However, consequentialism is also problematic because it can justify immoral means for good ends, ignore individual rights and justice, and be difficult to predict and measure consequences.

• Deontology: This approach holds that the moral value of an action depends on its adherence to a rule or a duty. An action is right if it follows a universal moral law that applies to everyone in every situation. An action is wrong if it violates such a law. The most famous version of deontology is Kantian ethics, which defines the universal moral law as the categorical imperative: act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law. Deontology is appealing because it is rational, consistent, and respectful. However, deontology is also problematic because it can be rigid, dogmatic, and conflicting. It can also ignore the consequences and circumstances of actions.

• Virtue ethics: This approach holds that the moral value of an action depends on its expression of a virtue or a character trait. An action is right if it reflects a good quality that a person should have. An action is wrong if it reveals a bad quality that a person should avoid. The most famous version of virtue ethics is Aristotelian ethics, which defines virtue as a mean between two extremes of excess and deficiency. For example, courage is a virtue between cowardice and recklessness. Virtue ethics is appealing because it is holistic, flexible, and realistic. However, virtue ethics is also problematic because it can be vague, subjective, and relativistic. It can also neglect the role of rules and outcomes in morality.

Normative ethics is an important and challenging field that helps us to understand and evaluate our moral beliefs and actions. However, normative ethics is not the only field of ethics. There are also other subfields such as meta-ethics, which studies the nature and meaning of moral concepts and language; applied ethics, which applies moral theories to practical issues and dilemmas; and descriptive ethics, which studies how people actually behave and think morally.

Normative Social Influence

Another field that uses the term normative is social psychology. Social psychology is the scientific study of how people interact with and influence each other. Normative social influence is one of the factors that affects human behavior and conformity. Normative social influence is the pressure to conform to the expectations and norms of a group or a society in order to be accepted and liked by others.

Normative social influence can have positive or negative effects on human behavior and conformity. On the one hand, normative social influence can promote social harmony, cooperation, and cohesion. It can also help people to learn and adopt appropriate and beneficial behaviors and attitudes. On the other hand, normative social influence can also lead to conformity bias, groupthink, and peer pressure. It can also make people lose their individuality, creativity, and critical thinking.

Normative social influence is influenced by several factors, such as:

• The size of the group: The larger the group, the more likely people are to conform to its norms and expectations.

• The unanimity of the group: The more unanimous the group, the more likely people are to conform to its norms and expectations.

• The status of the group: The higher the status of the group, the more likely people are to conform to its norms and expectations.

• The ambiguity of the situation: The more ambiguous the situation, the more likely people are to conform to the norms and expectations of others.

• The personal characteristics of the individual: The more insecure, uncertain, or dependent the individual, the more likely they are to conform to the norms and expectations of others.

Normative social influence is a powerful and pervasive phenomenon that shapes our behavior and choices. However, normative social influence is not the only factor that affects human behavior and conformity. There are also other factors such as informational social influence, which is the pressure to conform to the opinions and judgments of others who are perceived as more knowledgeable or competent; personal factors, such as values, beliefs, personality, or emotions; and situational factors, such as rewards, punishments, or incentives.

Normative Economics

the subfield of economics that deals with the goals and recommendations for economic policies and outcomes. Normative economics tries to answer questions such as: What should be the optimal level of production, consumption, or distribution of goods and services? What should be the best allocation of resources and income among different groups of people? What should be the role and responsibility of the government in regulating and intervening in the economy?

Normative economics differs from positive economics, which is the subfield of economics that deals with the facts and predictions of economic phenomena. Positive economics tries to answer questions such as: What is the actual level of production, consumption, or distribution of goods and services? What is the actual allocation of resources and income among different groups of people? What is the actual role and impact of the government in regulating and intervening in the economy?

Normative economics faces several challenges and controversies. One challenge is to define and measure the criteria for evaluating economic policies and outcomes. For example, how do we measure efficiency, equity, welfare, or sustainability? How do we balance and trade off different criteria that may conflict with each other? Another challenge is to justify and communicate the values and assumptions that underlie normative economic judgments and recommendations. For example, how do we account for ethical, political, or cultural factors that may affect economic decisions and preferences? How do we persuade and convince others who may have different values and assumptions?

Normative Legal Theory

A fourth field that uses the term normative is law. Law is the system of rules and institutions that regulate human behavior and relations in a society. Normative legal theory is the subfield of legal scholarship that deals with the justification and evaluation of legal rules and institutions. Normative legal theory tries to answer questions such as: What makes a legal rule or institution valid or legitimate? What are the principles and values that inform and guide legal reasoning and decision making? What are the goals and functions of law in a society?

Normative legal theory differs from descriptive legal theory, which is the subfield of legal scholarship that deals with the description and explanation of how law works in practice. Descriptive legal theory tries to answer questions such as: What are the sources and types of legal rules and institutions? How are legal rules and institutions created, interpreted, applied, and enforced? How do legal rules and institutions affect human behavior and relations in a society?

Normative legal theory encompasses various schools of thought that have different perspectives and approaches to law. Some of the main schools of thought are:

• Natural law: This school of thought holds that law is based on a higher moral order that transcends human will or convention. Law is valid or legitimate if it conforms to this moral order, which can be derived from reason, nature, or divine revelation. Law is invalid or illegitimate if it contradicts this moral order, which is universal, objective, and immutable.

• Legal positivism: This school of thought holds that law is based on human will or convention that creates legal rules and institutions. Law is valid or legitimate if it conforms to this will or convention, which can be expressed by a sovereign authority, a social consensus, or a constitutional procedure. Law is invalid or illegitimate if it contradicts this will or convention, which is relative, subjective, and changeable.

• Legal realism: This school of thought holds that law is based on human behavior or experience that shapes legal rules and institutions. Law is valid or legitimate if it reflects this behavior or experience, which can be observed by empirical methods, psychological insights, or sociological analysis. Law is invalid or illegitimate if it ignores this behavior or experience, which is complex, dynamic, and diverse.

• Critical legal studies: This school of thought holds that law is based on human power or interest that influences legal rules and institutions. Law is valid or legitimate if it challenges this power or interest, which can be exposed by critical methods, ideological critique, or social movements. Law is invalid or illegitimate if it reinforces this power or interest, which is oppressive, unjust, or hegemonic.

Normative legal theory is an important and fascinating field that helps us to understand and evaluate our legal system and its role in our society. However, normative legal theory is not the only field of law. There are also other subfields such as comparative law, which studies the similarities and differences among different legal systems; international law, which studies the rules and institutions that govern the relations among states and other actors in the global arena; and jurisprudence, which studies the nature and meaning of law and its relation to other disciplines such as philosophy, politics, or history.

Normative Language

A fifth field that uses the term normative is linguistics. Linguistics is the scientific study of language and its structure, function, and use. Normative language is the type of language that expresses values, preferences, obligations, permissions, or recommendations. Normative language can also refer to the rules or standards that prescribe how language should be used correctly or appropriately.

Normative language can be found in various forms and contexts. For example:

• Normative statements are sentences that contain normative words or expressions, such as should, ought, must, need, good, bad, right, wrong, etc. For example: "You should eat more vegetables." "It is wrong to lie." "This is a good book."

• Normative questions are questions that ask for normative judgments or evaluations, such as what is better, worse, preferable, desirable, etc. For example: "What should I do?" "Which option is better?" "What do you think of this movie?"

• Normative arguments are arguments that support or oppose a normative claim or recommendation, using normative premises or reasons. For example: "You should vote because it is your civic duty." "You should not smoke because it is bad for your health." "You should buy this product because it is the best in the market."

• Normative texts are texts that use normative language to persuade or influence the reader or listener to adopt a certain point of view or course of action. For example: advertisements, editorials, reviews, speeches, manifestos, etc.

• Normative grammar is the set of rules or principles that prescribe how language should be used correctly or appropriately according to a certain standard or authority. For example: spelling rules, punctuation rules, style guides, dictionaries, etc.

Normative language has its benefits and drawbacks. On the one hand, normative language can help us to communicate our values and preferences, to guide our actions and decisions, and to improve our situations and outcomes. On the other hand, normative language can also be biased, subjective, unrealistic, or impractical. It can also create conflicts and disagreements among people who have different values and preferences.

Normative Data

A sixth field that uses the term normative is st