Descriptive and Prescriptive Claims

Descriptive and prescriptive claims are two concepts that Epstein talks about in his text. A descriptive claim is when the statement is clear and to the point. An example of this would be that it is illegal to be in a car without having your seatbelt fastened. This statement would be a descriptive claim because it is saying exactly what it means with no way of getting around it. On the other hand, a prescriptive claim is a statement that is not as obvious as a descriptive claim, but recommends how something ought to be. For example, Jane should wear her seatbelt when she is sitting in the car even if she is not the driver. This is a prescriptive claim because it is recommending Jane to do something rather than commanding her to do it. Another concept that ties in with prescriptive claims is value judgment. A value judgment is when individuals should do or choose to do the right thing in the particular situation that they might be in rather than choosing or doing what is wrong and dishonest. This would be described as a perspective claim because the individual is doing what they should do.