Normanorma

Normanorma is a term used in some strands of normative theory to denote meta-norms—norms about norms. It concerns how normative rules are created, justified, revised, and enforced, and how multiple normative systems interact. The concept appears in philosophy, legal theory, and interdisciplinary studies of governance, where scholars examine questions such as what makes a norm legitimate, how competing norms coexist, and how normative change occurs.

Proponents view normanorma as a framework for analyzing the sources of authority behind rules (such as law, convention, or consent), the procedures that establish or amend norms, and the mechanisms by which norms are enforced or resisted. It emphasizes the reflective evaluation of both the content of norms and the processes that produce and modify them, enabling comparisons across domains such as law, ethics, and public policy. Critics argue that the term can be vague or overly abstract, with a risk of detaching normative critique from practical consequences, especially in dynamic fields like technology policy and online governance.

In practice, normanorma can be used to assess the legitimacy of rulemaking processes, inform the design of governance structures, and compare normative frameworks across contexts. It has been discussed in contexts ranging from constitutional design to algorithmic regulation and corporate codes of conduct, where understanding how norms about norms operate can illuminate questions of legitimacy, legitimacy, and compliance.

See also: norm, normativity, metaethics, governance, regulation.