Normative Sciences Characteristics and Classification

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Anthony Golden

The normative science they are a type of information that is developed and interpreted with the intention of applying policies or a class of policies in particular. Traditional science does not presuppose predefined policies, normative science does.

For example, thinking based on avoiding environmental pollution is supported by pre-established rules that have been developed over time. Another example is the thought of the preference for natural species against species that were altered by man..

"Ethics", pixabay.com

In more philosophical terms, normative sciences are forms of inquiry that meet in order to discover "good ways" to achieve recognized goals or purposes. Over time, normative sciences have evolved to figure out how things should be.

When presenting scientific information on health, ecosystem, or environmental degradation, each of these concepts recognizes a political preference, which is a fundamental characteristic of normative science..

In short, normative science clearly revolves around the place of norms or values.

Article index

  • 1 Features
    • 1.1 They are not quantifiable
    • 1.2 Comply with a series of rules
    • 1.3 It is related to normative and traditional sciences
  • 2 Classification
    • 2.1 Ethics
    • 2.2 Aesthetics
    • 2.3 The philosophy
  • 3 References

Characteristics

They are not quantifiable

Science has been divided over time into two approaches to explain different functions: descriptive science and normative science. Descriptive science adopts a purely experimental and objective approach, seeking to establish clear and exact facts.

Instead, normative science tries to explain and improve things. Fields such as physics or biology are descriptive, while fields of ethics are classified as normative. Still, the scientific method can be used in normative science..

In areas such as ethics, you will ask yourself questions such as: "Is the death penalty okay?" or “should abortion be legalized?”, while descriptive sciences only seek to discover quantifiable facts, such as: “what percentage of people believe that the death penalty is correct?”.

Normative sciences seek to discover "the ways of doing things" or "the correct way of thinking and acting".

Comply with a series of rules

According to normative sciences, in order to make decisions or make a pronouncement about "the good" or "the bad" of things, one must operate within a set of previously established norms or beliefs..

Normative science requires knowledge of how human beings think and behave. In addition, it is necessary to understand what their beliefs and thoughts are to establish the norms, within which they can make some value judgment..

In short, normative sciences discover, understand and analyze how things are in order to subsequently seek to improve them significantly.

It has a relationship between normative and traditional sciences

In the case of ecology, for example, it is a normative science. According to the criteria of ecology, rivers, seas and the environment in general should not be polluted and it is suggested to give the correct care of animals. In this sense, they define a series of concepts and parameters to defend their positions..

However, physics or the exact sciences in general are involved in the process to quantify; For example, the contamination of rivers, or the bromide levels they may have, must be calculated to corroborate whether or not it is contaminated and, if so, what percentage is affected.

In accordance with this, the position of normative science is supported by the quantitative and exact data provided by the traditional sciences in order to give a value judgment..

Classification

Ethics

By nature, ethics establishes a series of universal norms and laws within society. Ethics is seen as a normative science that human beings must comply with in order to do "what is right".

Ethics is responsible for guiding the human being in his behavior, making it a method of a scientific and practical nature. It is the moral systems that human beings have that govern their behavior throughout their lives..

The category of normative ethics involves creating or evaluating moral standards. Therefore, it is an attempt to find out what the man should do or if his moral conduct is reasonable. Normative ethics is in charge of seeking the foundations of norms and modeling the human being.

This branch of philosophy, then, makes an attempt to seek and recognize the right and wrong things without depending on governmental or religious institutions, becoming a personal decision..

Aesthetics

Aesthetics is the branch of philosophy related to nature, art and beauty. It has also been seen as a critical reflection on different topics such as art or culture. Aesthetics is a sensory perception and a part of the branch in charge of studying value judgments.

In aesthetics, questions are questioned and asked such as: "What makes a work of art successful?" or "Why do we find certain beautiful things?" or "Is there a connection between art and morality?" Aesthetic value judgments are based on our ability to discriminate on a sensory and emotional level.

According to the Prussian philosopher Immanuel Kant, beauty is objective and universal; However, there is a second concept involved in the interpretation that the viewer makes of beauty, taste, which is subjective and varies according to the cultural environment and the education of each person..

On the other hand, beauticians may call a person, a house, a symphony or a fragrance “beautiful”, but then they ask a series of questions between them: what characteristics do they all share that give them such status??

The philosophy

Like ethics and aesthetics, philosophy questions a series of questions related to how one should live ethically and morally correctly. In addition, it seeks to understand the correct principles of the human reasoning process.

Ultimately, it is based on the investigation of the nature, causes or principles of reality. It is also based on knowledge and values ​​based on logical reasoning rather than the use of empirical methods.

Unlike the traditional sciences, philosophy asks abstract questions; it is done through reflection and does not tend to trust experiments.

References

  1. What Is Normative and Descriptive Science ?, John London, (2017). Taken from sciencing.com
  2. Normative Social Science, International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, (2008). Taken from encyclopedia.com
  3. Descriptive and Normative Science, George Sabine, (2018). Taken from jstor.org
  4. Ethics: Descriptive, Normative and Analytic, Thoughtco Portal, (2018). Taken from thoughtco.com
  5. Normativity in the philosophy of science: the case of regulatory science, Francisco Javier Rodríguez Alcázar, (2004). Taken from dialnet.unirioja.es

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