Week 2 Question 3

3). Pick one concept from the reading (either Epstein or the Small Group Comm book) and discuss it in detail.

Descriptive claims that tell the truth (facts). Prescriptive claims tell what should be.
I feel that this is a common mistake that people make all the time. People always hear others saying what should be or what people should do and just because one believes something does not make that person right or his or her belief true.

Descriptive claim:
Smoking and drinking are unhealthy habits. This is true because there have been actual studies and there is research that demonstrates that smoking and drinking lead to unhealthy results (death, car accidents, cancer, abuse, etc.)

Prescriptive claim:
Drinking and smoking should be illegal to all people under the age of 25. This is a prescriptive claim because it is what someone thinks should be. This is not truth and this is not a fact, it is the thought and belief of a person who thinks that drinking and smoking should not be legal until all persons are the age of 25.

I think that this is an important subject to learn about because people usually tend to feel what they think/believe is right/true and that everyone should follow what they think, instead of the truth.