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Fri Mar 31 17:18:30 2006 |
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----------------- HES POSTING -----------------
[This was posted on the History and Philosophy of Science list, and Roy
Weintraub thought it might interest some members of HES. Some may be able
to
contribute direct answers to the question posed, or might want to discuss
whether economics is a normative science in the senses suggested. Please
note
that the original poster of the message, David Hyder, is not a subscriber
to
HES. - RBE]
A dispute has been simmering in our department over the correct
extension of the term "normative," with some wanting to reserve it
for disciplines such as logic and ethics, and others, more in line with
some contemporary Anglo-american authors, extending it to cover
linguistic conventions, etc.
Thumbing through the OED, I confirmed my suspicion that the
philosophical use of the term in English, as in "the normative
sciences" is traceable back to 19th German sources: the earliest use
they have is an English translation of Wundtˆs Ethics, where Wundt
terms as normative sciences: logic, ethics based on psychology, and
physical engineering.
Obviously the word was of great polemical importance in the
psychology/philosophy wars that emerged in German departments around
the time. I'd be interested in any references that precede Wundt.
(Obviously Wundt's usage is a plus to those of us who favour a more
general application of the term.)
David Hyder
Centre for Philosophy of Science
University of Konstanz
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