prescriptive
prih-SKRIP-tiv
/prɪˈskrɪptɪv/
Stating what should or ought to be done; laying down rules or directions for conduct.
Contrasts directly with descriptive claims; it dictates how people ought to behave rather than recording facts.
The story behind the word. From Latin 'praescribere' (compounded of 'prae' [before] and 'scribere' [to write]), originally referring to writing directions at the head of a legal document before execution. It naturally evolved into specifying rules for behavior.
Word relationships
- normative: Normative is virtually synonymous in philosophy, establishing standards and moral norms.
- descriptive: Descriptive claims merely state facts as they exist without making value judgments.
Commonly confused with
- proscriptive: Prescriptive lays down what you MUST do (do's), whereas proscriptive lays down what you MUST NOT do (don'ts).
Word family
- prescribe (verb): To lay down authoritatively a rule or guide
- prescription (noun): A rule or direction made for conduct
Collocations
- prescriptive ethics
- prescriptive framework
- prescriptive claim
- highly prescriptive
Example sentences
- "Ethics is a prescriptive discipline that seeks to establish how human beings ought to live, rather than describing empirical facts." Philosophy of language
- "A prescriptive grammar rule tells speakers how language ought to be used, whereas descriptive grammar merely records usage." Grammar and ethics comparison
Memory hook
PRE-SCRIPT = written down beforehand as a rule to follow. Telling you what ought to be done.
When not to use
Do not confuse with medical prescriptions, though both share the origin of laying down authoritative directions.
Fun facts
- The divide between descriptive ('is') and prescriptive ('ought') claims was made famous by philosopher David Hume as the 'is-ought problem'.
Related words
Explore more words
prescribe, dictate, proscribe, idealistic, regulation, ethical
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