Norms and Descriptions

Niklas Vareman ()
Additional contact information
Niklas Vareman: Department of Philosophy, Lund University, S-222 22 Lund, Sweden

Decision Analysis, 2008, vol. 5, issue 2, 88-99

Abstract: This article addresses the problem of identifying conditions according to which it is possible to distinguish between a descriptive theory and a normative theory. What makes a descriptive theory descriptive and a normative theory normative? The focus is on subjective expected utility theories where it seems open to debate whether the appropriate use is normative or descriptive. My discussion, which takes arguments by Isaac Levi and Hugh Mellor as points of departure, is mostly negative, showing that there are no obvious distinguishing features of theories qua theories. Rather, the theories can be used normatively or descriptively without making them theories of one kind or the other. I also point to situations in prescriptive decision analysis where one should be observant of in what way theories are used.

Keywords: decision theory; normative; descriptive; prescriptive decision models (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/deca.1080.0112 (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:inm:ordeca:v:5:y:2008:i:2:p:88-99

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Decision Analysis from INFORMS Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Chris Asher ().