16 Questions
What is the primary goal of distinguishing between factual statements and value judgments?
To avoid being fooled by switching connotations without indication
Which of the following best describes empirical statements?
Expressions that describe the way the world is
What is the term used to describe statements that state standards or norms to prescribe or evaluate an action?
Normative
What is the primary distinction between normative principles and empirical generalizations?
One indicates how things must be and the other reports how things are in fact
What is the characteristic of rules or laws of Logic and Critical Thinking?
They capture how we ought to think and not how we actually do think
In the context of law, what does the distinction between factual statements and value judgments help us to understand?
The different senses of law
What type of statements are used to describe the way the world is as we experience it through our senses?
Factual statements
What is the primary purpose of introducing the concept of normative and empirical senses of law?
To avoid being fooled by switching connotations without indication
What is the primary characteristic of natural laws?
They are statements that describe the regularities or uniformities in the patterns of events or features of things.
What is the relationship between natural laws and future realities?
Natural laws are disguised predictions about future realities.
What is the primary difference between natural laws and other types of laws?
Natural laws are statements about nature, while other laws are statements about human behavior.
What is the nature of natural law statements?
They are law-like, but may be disproven by counterevidence.
What is the primary purpose of natural laws?
To describe the regularities or uniformities in the patterns of events or features of things.
What is the relationship between natural laws and human behavior?
Natural laws are statements about nature, and have no bearing on human behavior.
What is the primary characteristic of natural laws compared to other types of laws?
They are descriptive and describe the regularities or uniformities in the patterns of events or features of things.
What is the relationship between natural laws and empirical evidence?
Natural laws are based solely on empirical evidence.
Study Notes
Unit 5: The Normative and the Empirical
Critical Thinking & Practical Reasoning
- The concept of law can be understood in different senses, including moral grounds, legal grounds, and empirical grounds.
Factual Statements vs Value Judgements
- Factual statements:
- Describe the way the world is
- Derived from experience or observations
- Verifiable
- Empirical
- Value judgments:
- Prescribe or evaluate the way the world or things should be
- State standards or norms
- Normative
The Normative and the Empirical
- The distinction between factual statements and value judgments helps understand general claims:
- Normative principles: indicate how things must be or should be
- Empirical generalisations: report how things are in fact
- Rules or laws of Logic and Critical thinking are normative, capturing how we ought to think, not how we actually do think
The Different Senses of 'Law'
- There is no one definition for the word 'law', but rather different notions:
- Natural law
- Civil law
- Customary law
- Moral law
- Law of reasoning
- Mathematical law
- Divine law
- Law is a system of rules or general principles that govern the nature of things or human behavior
- Laws are expressed in the form of statements, which can be descriptive or prescriptive
Natural Law
- Natural laws, also called scientific laws, refer to statements that express laws about nature
- They are defined as statements that aim to describe the regularities or uniformities in the patterns of events or features of things we observe around us
- They are formed based on past experiences
- Examples:
- Every planet moves around the sun in an elliptical orbit
- All metals expand when heated
- Any physical object that goes up must come down
- All green plants use sunlight for photosynthesis
- All fish live in water
- Every human being breathes oxygen
- Natural law statements:
- Have no exceptions and are therefore called law-like
- Are disguised predictions about future realities
- Are not absolutely certain and may be proven false by counterevidence in the future
Explore the normative and empirical aspects of critical thinking and practical reasoning, focusing on moral grounds and legal conflicts. This unit delves into the legitimacy and justness of civil statutes and laws.
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