Pick one concept from the reading: Prescriptive and Descriptive Claims

A prescriptive claim is basically a claim that states what should be (Epstein, pg.24). Usually, these types of claims involve a sense of judgement like whether something is right or wrong, known as a value judgment. Because prescriptive claims involve judgments, they almost always also involve some sort of opinion. Descriptive claims, on the other hand, describe what actually is. Essentially, these types of claims are factual to some degree.

Prescriptive claims seem to spark some debate when discussed amongst peers. True, there are some claims that most people can agree on. But typically, prescriptive statements express a person's feelings and values which may or may not be the same as another person.

Personally, I think that descriptive claims are the cornerstone of any prescriptive claim. Without what actually is, there cannot be any opinionated statements.