What is "normal"?

[.L.]

What is "normal" is it a what makes a person "normal", is it their hobbies? Where they come from? Their job?. What is the definition of a "normal person"

[Prosaic Visitant]

Normal is what the majority of society and government says it is. Submit and all shall be good.

[Poach]

Into the EMM you go.

[Ancient Aliens]

To be "normal" is to be socially homogeneous. No one ever said it was a positive quality, however. I'm just about as abnormal as you get, and I live an incrediblly fulfilling life.

[LSJ]

"Normal" simply does not exist.

Is drinking coffee normal? Most adults seem to.

But then, is liking baseball normal if most people who watch baseball don't drink coffee?

Are the coffee drinkers normal, or are the baseball watchers?

Then, is brushing your teeth twice a day normal? What if the people who watch baseball and drink coffee don't brush their teeth? That would mean the people who fall into two of the 'normal' categories are abnormal in the third.

If you look at it that way, it is apparent that only a tiny minority fits into the 'normal' category in all respects. Therefor a 'normal person' does not exist. The word 'normal' only functions within a specific context. Additionally, the concept of what is normal changes over time. Today we wouldn't label a man normal if he had slaves in his backyard. But 200 years ago he could have been seen as a totally normal business owner. Or a man who believes in voodoo curses could have been normal. Today he is crazy.

[florin87]

"Normal" simply does not exist.

Is drinking coffee normal? Most adults seem to.

But then, is liking baseball normal if most people who watch baseball don't drink coffee?

quite the contrary normal does exist.

cofee is a matter of taste. some might like cofee some might not. some like wine, others like beer, others like both. same goes for sports. normality does not stem from linking/not liking a certain beverage or dish or whatever. normal means acting appropriately to your age, not engaging in activities that are found repulsive by 99% of the populace, and not going against your nature. for instance drinking raw sewage would not be normal.

in other words normal means being part of the norm. acting and living in a way deemed appropriate by society and it's laws (be they religious or secular).

Then, is brushing your teeth twice a day normal? What if the people who watch baseball and drink coffee don't brush their teeth? That would mean the people who fall into two of the 'normal' categories are abnormal in the third.

once again a poor example. brushing your teeth is twice a day matter of personal hygiene, not a matter of normality. it is normal for someone to loathe having bad breath or cavities. how you maintain your teeth is up to you entirely.

[Diamat]

I am normal. Ya'll are just a bunch of weirdos.

[Copperknickers II]

Normal is majority, simple as that. If everyone started wearing the clothes of the opposite sex, laughing maniacally whenever someone said the word 'yes', doing complex calculus equations at home and having pitched battles at school, then after a while that would become the norm.

My particular issue is with the use of the term regarding appearance. How can you 'look normal'? Aside from the massive amount of people with 'abnormal' facial features such as large or small facial features and different scars/defects whatever, what does a 'normal' person look like? What race are they? What colour is their hair? Are they attractive or unattractive? It makes no sense.

[Col. Tartleton]

Law of averages.

[.L.]

But what EXACTLY is normal? What EXACT things does a "normal" person do?

[Claudius Gothicus]

Normal is what the dominant Institutions of Society define as.

For example Normal behavior in modern society is basically defined around what's within legal borders, what's culturally accepted by the majority(Media bombardment plays a huge role) and what's held by ''the collective'' as the ''right way of thinking'' or common sense... common sense plays a big role in the formation of ''normality'', if you fail to grasp common sense(this means failing to adapt and internalize roles) you are considered a weirdo.

If you break any of those ''symbolic universes''(common sense, culture, or law) you start deviating from ''normality''. A normal person conforms to the Means and Ends that society constructs for him/her to follow and project her wishes into.

Again in a Modern Society a ''normal person'' goes to School, follows a certain level of education, attends the norms and laws, gets a job and forms a family core according to the dominant demands of Institutions and Customs.

[Phier]

Normal would be a range of behavior which is deemed socially acceptable and expected.

For example. Someone likes to stay home and read books, someone else likes to go out drinking with their friends after work.

Both are doing very different things.
Both are in the range of normal.

As a counter example. Someone likes to stay home and put kittens in the microwave. Someone else likes to go out and urinate in peoples birdbaths.

Both are doing very different things.
Both are not in the range of normal.

The same applies to dress, looks, etc.

Normal is simply the range of behavior your society thinks is acceptable.

Abnormal could be legal or illegal. If I wallpapered my entire house using the TWC logo, that would be legal and abnormal.
Normal can occasionally be illegal. If I'm 19 and drink at parties, thats illegal and normal.

[Diamat]

Funny thing I've noticed: some of you guys posting are getting awfully close to moral relativism, even though you would usually never condone the concept of moral relativism

It's funny that it is easier for people to recognize the contingent nature of what constitutes "normality," yet when it comes to "morality," they have a much different opinion.

Just a thought.

[Col. Tartleton]

Funny thing I've noticed: some of you guys posting are getting awfully close to moral relativism, even though you would usually never condone the concept of moral relativism

It's funny that it is easier for people to recognize the contingent nature of what constitutes "normality," yet when it comes to "morality," they have a much different opinion.

Just a thought.

That's because normal is as things are whereas morals are where they should be. One's self apparent, one's debatable.

[SonOfOdin]

Normal can occasionally be illegal. If I'm 19 and drink at parties, thats illegal and normal.

Whereas I'm 17 and drink at parties, that's legal and normal.

Normality varies between different societies as well

[Hilarion]

"Normal" is to live without adhering to any significant contrarian principle. Most people you know are normal. Ascetics are not normal. Anarchists are not normal. Normality is not necessarily good or bad. It can be good in as that it promotes social order. Bad if it means superficiality and living without objective thought.

[basics]

" What is "normal" is it a what makes a person "normal", is it their hobbies? Where they come from? Their job?. What is the definition of a "normal person" "

Ransom Locke,

What is normal is that mankind follows the lusts of his or her heart and that subject to anything that the heart is content with. Because this is varied there is no normality in the true sense of the word. I mean I am bald, shrinking with age and disease yet my next door neighbours appear to have different attributes between them and me, so what is normal for even they are different?

The only normality appears to be that we all have to eat, to drink, to breathe and to die and even that is not normally done in the same fashion nor manner as others.

[AdamWeishaupt]

Normal can mean that you have a consistent ethical point of view.

If I can share your ethical point of view, then we are in an ethical relation.
If I can't share your ethical point of view, then we are not in an ethical relation.

We do not need to share all the same ethical points of view as well as we do not need to stand all in the same ethical relations.

Some ethical points of view are possible to some persons.
Some ethical points of view are not possible to some persons.

Some ethical relations are possible to some persons.
Some ethical relations are not possible to some persons.

That's normal, isn't it?

[Vizsla]

This is normal:

[AdamWeishaupt]

This is normal:

It's a normal distribution.