Normative v Empirical Statements Normative Statements Contain value

Normative v. Empirical Statements

Normative Statements • Contain value judgments • Contain words such as should or should not, better or worse

Empirical Statements • describe what is in the social world, without evaluating it. • They are statements that can be measured empirically. • Empirical: can be proven through experience or experiment

Examples of Normative and Empirical Statements From Caroline Persell • Decide if each of the following are normative or empirical statements

• 1. Judging from his lawsuit, La. Tulippe decided to challenge the norms held by the hockey team.

• 2. La. Tulippe chose to deviate from these terrible norms.

• "Gay families are indisputably here. " (Judith Stacey, 2003, “In the Name of the Family” pp. 105 -28 in All Our Families: New Policies for a New Century, edited by Mary Ann Mason and Steven Sugarman. New York: Oxford University Press. )

• 4. "Gay and lesbian families come in different sizes, shapes, ethnicities, races, religions, resources, creeds, and quirks, and even engage in diverse sexual practices. " (Stacey, 2003)

• 5. Gay families should be normalized (Stacey, 2003).

• 6. "In this [article] I hope to facilitate such a process of normalization…" (Stacey, 2003)

• 7. “The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways; the point is to change it. ” (Karl Marx, Theses on Feuerbach, XI)

With a Partner: • Write three normative and three empirical statements based on observations of Woodland Hills High School • Be prepared to share