Normative Theories: A Bridge between Accounting's Reality and Its End

In recent decades, the emergence of crisis in accounting has posed by many thinkers and writers, particularly about theory setting and accounting methodology. As it is mostly accepted in philosophy of science, accounting is a type of social science that we should define it by its end, not by its subjects. It is clear that, nowadays the ends and goals of accounting are two major things: preparing useful information for decision making; and accountability. Many evidences and researches show that positive methodology or positive accounting theory is not an appropriate means in achieving to accountability end. Because the focus of positivism is on objective realities; and it misses the role of mind and subjective ideas, accounting as a social science which has built not only on the physical objects but also on the accountants’ thought and power of mind, cannot rely on positive methodology for theory setting, entirely. This article has tried to emphasize on the importance of the norms. Values and ethics in obtaining the accounting purposes by collecting some philosophic literature, especially the viewpoints of Immanuel Kant in his books based on critique concept and the members of Frankfurt School and their critical theory. Finally, after a review of the ethical approach in accounting theory, we conclude that the nearest way to accounting ends is relying on normative theories, which are described in this text as a stable bridge between the reality of accounting and its ends.