Mike, James G-A used and defined the term "normative" in a post addressed to you last month.
> "Normative" often stands in contrast to "positive". A positive judgement is a judgement about how things are, while a normative judgement is a judgement about how things should be... specifically what rules and organizational systems should be used. CB:I looked it up and the definitions I found agreed with this. This one is from http://www.m-w.com/ http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=normative&x=20&y=17 One entry found for norm. Main Entry: norm Pronunciation: 'norm Function: noun Etymology: Latin norma, literally, carpenter's square 1 : an authoritative standard : MODEL 2 : a principle of right action binding upon the members of a group and serving to guide, control, or regulate proper and acceptable behavior One entry found for normative. Main Entry: nor�ma�tive Pronunciation: 'nor-m&-tiv Function: adjective Etymology: French normatif, from norme norm, from Latin norma 1 : of, relating to, or determining norms or standards <normative tests> 2 : conforming to or based on norms <normative behavior> <normative judgments> 3 : prescribing norms <normative rules of ethics> <normative grammar> - nor�ma�tive�ly adverb - nor�ma�tive�ness noun CB:My recent use of the word applied to a definition (used by Forest and others) of "strongly defeated", which James had objected to as not being "especially useful". It was James who started using the phrase "normative criterion". > Chris, what do you mean when you say that a criterion is "normative"? CB:I meant the same as I assume James meant, that is just that it is about how things should be. In that weak sense I suppose all or nearly all the criteria mentioned at EM are "normative", so the phrase could be reserved for criteria that are based on or prescribe the more desirable (or "fundamental") standards. Chris Benham Find local movie times and trailers on Yahoo! Movies. http://au.movies.yahoo.com ---- Election-methods mailing list - see http://electorama.com/em for list info
