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Question in question: Does politics deal with descriptive or normative ethics?

It's currently closed as unclear. Unfortunately, it's also unclear for me for what to clarify. I'm completely clueless for what to edit.

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    Well, for one you need to be specific about what normative vs descriptive mean in this context. Without requiring the reader to look up the semantics in a philosophy book. In terms of politics, what is your question about? What actual effect does the distinction have on governance, electability, etc? Examples? Keep in mind, not only are people in the group not necessarily knowledgeable about specific philosophy terminology - which seems to be a wide field - we are not necessarily English as a first language either. So throwing out a question verbatim from a philo textbook? Unclear.
    – Italian Philosophers 4 Monica
    Dec 10, 2020 at 4:39
  • do you think this sentence helps? "Descriptive accounts of privacy describing what is in fact protected as private, normative accounts of privacy defending its value and the extent to which it should be protected". What actual effect does the distinction have on governance, electability, etc? – I don't know either, that's why I'm asking this question.
    – Ooker
    Dec 11, 2020 at 6:31
  • You keep repeating the same words without addressing the issue that few people understand how their everyday meaning - and normative is a hardly an everyday word to start with - relate to politics and whatever your question is about. I still have zero idea what this question is even about. Try explaining it as to a 8th grader and assume NO specialized philosophy knowledge.
    – Italian Philosophers 4 Monica
    Dec 11, 2020 at 18:33

1 Answer 1

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Here's the actual question:

I wonder when one making a policy or law (any policy, not just restricted to privacy), does they use descriptive or normative concepts? Or it depends on the topic?

At a bare minimum, you need to define the words "they" and "use":

  1. Who are "they?" Politicians? Courts? The public?
  2. What do you mean by "use?" Consider? Write into law? Make speeches about?

It would also help if you provided specific examples of what you mean by "normative and descriptive concepts," and how you imagine this distinction would affect public policy. In other words: What difference would it make, if a politician "used" normative concepts versus descriptive concepts?

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  • 1. The policy/law makers 2. Write into policy/law. Would that be clearer? As for example, do you think this sentence help? "Descriptive accounts of privacy describing what is in fact protected as private, normative accounts of privacy defending its value and the extent to which it should be protected"
    – Ooker
    Dec 11, 2020 at 6:28
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    @Ooker: Your example is not specific enough. I would want to hear about how you think the resulting law would differ, not about what a descriptive account is vs. what a normative account is. In other words, if you want to ask about outcomes ("write into policy/law"), then you need to describe, as specifically as possible, the actual outcomes you are asking about.
    – Kevin
    Dec 11, 2020 at 8:53

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