value judgement
A teacher reminds the class that calling one painting "better" than another is a value judgement.
Noun: A value judgement is an assessment, opinion, or conclusion that expresses a personal or cultural belief about what is good, bad, desirable, or important. It reveals the values, biases, or standards of the person making the judgement more than it describes an objective fact about the subject being assessed.
A value judgement is used to express a subjective evaluation. It is often contrasted with a factual statement or an objective analysis. It is common in discussions about morality, art, politics, and personal preferences. - It is important to distinguish between a factual report and a value judgement in academic writing. - Her criticism of the film was less a review and more a value judgement about modern society.
- Calling that policy "foolish" is a value judgement; describing its budget allocation is a factual statement.
- The reviewer's claim that the novel is "the most important book of the decade" is a clear value judgement.
- When he said the design was "tacky," he was offering a value judgement, not a technical assessment.
- In philosophy and ethics: The term is central to discussions about whether moral statements can be objective or are inherently subjective expressions of value.
- The debate hinges on whether that moral claim is an objective truth or merely a value judgement.
- In critical thinking and rhetoric: Identifying value judgements is a key skill for analyzing arguments and recognizing bias.
- A good critical reader can spot the unstated value judgements underpinning an author's argument.
- Value-laden (adj): Describing language or analysis that contains implicit value judgements.
- The term "regime" is often a value-laden alternative to "government."
- Judgement call (noun): A decision based on personal interpretation and subjective assessment, often in the absence of clear rules.
- Whether a tackle is a foul is sometimes a judgement call for the referee.
- Subjective assessment
- Normative statement (especially in philosophy and social sciences)
- Evaluative claim
- To pass judgement: To express a critical opinion, often implying a moral evaluation.
- It's not my place to pass judgement on their lifestyle choices.
- A matter of taste: A phrase used to indicate that something is subjective and based on personal preference, not objective quality.
- Whether you like the painting or not is a matter of taste; it's a pure value judgement.
A teacher reminds the class that calling one painting "better" than another is a value judgement.
- an assessment that reveals more about the values of the person making the assessment than about the reality of what is assessed