Facts and Values : Studies in Ethical Analysis (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from Facts and Values: Studies in Ethical Analysis

When people disagree about the value of something - one saying that it is good or right and another that it is bad or wrong - by what methods of argument or inquiry can their disagreement be resolved 1 Can it be resolved by the methods of science, or does it require methods of some other kind, or is it open to no rational solution at all?

The question must be clarified before it can be answered. And the word that is particularly in need of clarification, as we shall see, is the word disagreement.

Let us begin by noting that disagreement has two broad senses In the first sense it refers to what I shall call disagreement in belief. This occurs when Mr. A believes p, when Mr. B believes not-p, or something incompatible with p, and when neither is content to let the belief of the other remain unchallenged. Thus doctors may dis agree in belief about the causes of an illness; and friends may disagree in belief about the exact date on which they last met.

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com

This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.