Evaluation as Practical Judgment

Abstract

What does evaluation mean? This paper studies the evaluative process as a practical judgment that links a situation to a set of values in order to decide upon a course of action. In the first part, the article follows Sen’s account of an evaluative process. His critique of the monist, deductive and idealist theory of Rawls leads to a “relational” and “comparative” approach of the evaluation. Incompletedness, comparison, reality and deliberation are the key principles of this methodology. This is close to insights of John Dewey. Nevertheless, Dewey grasps the pragmatic dimension of the process more precisely then Sen. He firstly makes the distinction between prizing and appraisal, valuation and evaluation. And secondly, the singular situation is underlined as a component of any evaluation. Therefore, evaluation requires empirical inquiry and public deliberation. In a third step, the article focuses on the relationship between evaluation and norms in practical judgments. As explained in the paper, norms are close to, but different from, values. As horizons or constrains, norms contribute to the framing of evaluations. In short, evaluation is a complex process linking prizing and appraisal, situated deliberation, values and norms. Any reduction to a single dimension should mislead the practical judgment, as shown on the example of the evaluation of work