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Questions and Answers
What is the primary goal of distinguishing between factual statements and value judgments?
What is the primary goal of distinguishing between factual statements and value judgments?
Which of the following best describes empirical statements?
Which of the following best describes empirical statements?
What is the term used to describe statements that state standards or norms to prescribe or evaluate an action?
What is the term used to describe statements that state standards or norms to prescribe or evaluate an action?
What is the primary distinction between normative principles and empirical generalizations?
What is the primary distinction between normative principles and empirical generalizations?
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What is the characteristic of rules or laws of Logic and Critical Thinking?
What is the characteristic of rules or laws of Logic and Critical Thinking?
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In the context of law, what does the distinction between factual statements and value judgments help us to understand?
In the context of law, what does the distinction between factual statements and value judgments help us to understand?
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What type of statements are used to describe the way the world is as we experience it through our senses?
What type of statements are used to describe the way the world is as we experience it through our senses?
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What is the primary purpose of introducing the concept of normative and empirical senses of law?
What is the primary purpose of introducing the concept of normative and empirical senses of law?
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What is the primary characteristic of natural laws?
What is the primary characteristic of natural laws?
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What is the relationship between natural laws and future realities?
What is the relationship between natural laws and future realities?
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What is the primary difference between natural laws and other types of laws?
What is the primary difference between natural laws and other types of laws?
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What is the nature of natural law statements?
What is the nature of natural law statements?
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What is the primary purpose of natural laws?
What is the primary purpose of natural laws?
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What is the relationship between natural laws and human behavior?
What is the relationship between natural laws and human behavior?
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What is the primary characteristic of natural laws compared to other types of laws?
What is the primary characteristic of natural laws compared to other types of laws?
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What is the relationship between natural laws and empirical evidence?
What is the relationship between natural laws and empirical evidence?
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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
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Description
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.
