On Normative Order

Citations Over Time

Abstract

Abstract This chapter argues the importance of understanding the idea of normative — the idea is of our having ways to differentiate right from wrong in what we do, of having common or overlapping conceptions of what one ought to do in various recurring situations. Human beings are norm-users, whose interactions with each other depend on mutually recognizable patterns that can be articulated in terms of right versus wrong conduct, or of what one ought to do in a certain setting. Understanding this use of norms precedes understanding any possibility of deliberately creating relevant norms that are to become patterns for behaviour. However, deliberate creation of norms also occurs. Norm-usage can acquire a more formal character, indeed, can become ‘institutionalized’. To understand this is to understand the transition into institutional normative order, and thus law.

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