Prescriptivism holds that ought judgments ("You ought to do this") are identical in meaning to simple imperatives ("Do this").
Prescriptivism holds that ought judgments ("You ought to do this") are identical in meaning to simple imperatives ("Do this").
"Ought" is universalizable, while simple imperatives aren't. "You ought to do this" is closer to "Do this, and let everyone do the same in similar cases."
We needn't make similar imperatives about similar cases. I can say "Have chocolate" to myself one day, and "Have vanilla" the next, even though nothing has changed.
Prescriptivism holds that ought judgments ("You ought to do this") are identical in meaning to simple imperatives ("Do this").
"Ought" is universalizable, while simple imperatives aren't. "You ought to do this" is closer to "Do this, and let everyone do the same in similar cases."
We needn't make similar imperatives about similar cases. I can say "Have chocolate" to myself one day, and "Have vanilla" the next, even though nothing has changed.