Morality: The Fact/Opinion Distinction

Should you think about your duty, or about the consequences of your actions? Or should you concentrate on becoming a good person?

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Skepdick
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Re: Morality: The Fact/Opinion Distinction

Post by Skepdick »

Peter Holmes wrote: Mon May 18, 2020 8:54 pm Yep. Here's his definition: A fact is a thing that is known to be consistent with objective reality and can be proven to be true with evidence.
Peter, please show us how that works.

Here is a fact -----------> The color of this sentence is red.

Please show us the evidence to prove that the above fact is true.
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Harbal
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Re: Morality: The Fact/Opinion Distinction

Post by Harbal »

Skepdick wrote: Mon May 18, 2020 10:27 pm The color of this sentence is red.
Exhibit A. :)
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Re: Morality: The Fact/Opinion Distinction

Post by Impenitent »

Harbal wrote: Mon May 18, 2020 10:35 pm
Skepdick wrote: Mon May 18, 2020 10:27 pm The color of this sentence is red.
Exhibit A. :)
The content of this sentence is read.

-Imp
Veritas Aequitas
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Re: Morality: The Fact/Opinion Distinction

Post by Veritas Aequitas »

Peter Holmes wrote: Mon May 18, 2020 9:57 am
Veritas Aequitas wrote: Mon May 18, 2020 8:50 am I have already demonstrated,
"No human ought to prevent another human from breathing"
as a moral fact derived from a Framework of Morality and is justified from empirical evidence and philosophical reasoning.
Above moral fact is merely one example, I have justified a hierarchy of justified moral facts.

In addition, I stated the above imperative is merely a Guide to be incorporated as a moral objective [goal] among other critical moral objectives.

You insist the above cannot be a fact based on your constipated definition of 'what is fact'.

I had also defined what is fact and there are many types of facts, where moral facts are one type of fact;
  • A fact is a thing that is known to be consistent with objective reality and can be proven to be true with evidence.
    For example, "This sentence contains words." is a linguistic fact, and
    "The sun is a star." is a cosmological fact.
    Further, "Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States." and "Abraham Lincoln was assassinated." are also both facts, of history.
Note the use of "moral fact" in the following;

In my case, as an empirical moral realist, what is moral fact is derived from a Framework of Morality and is justified from empirical evidences and philosophical reasoning.
But there's no logical entailment from 'Humans must breathe' to 'No human ought to prevent another human from breathing'.

All you do is claim there is a deductive entailment, but you never demonstrate it. So you haven't shown why the consequent is a fact.

Have a very deep. long think about it. And then, let's concentrate on this specific issue.
No logical Entailment??

As I have said you are stuck in a very tall narrow silo on 'what is morality'.
You don't have a holistic and comprehensive understanding of 'what is morality'.

In philosophy, there are two central fundamentals, i.e.
  • 1. What can I know? - epistemology, so that I can know,
    2. What I can do or cannot do - Morality & Ethics.
Both the above require logic and critical thinking.

You are merely focusing on epistemology but you lack a holistic and comprehensive understanding of what is morality.

As human beings with a very much stronger intelligence and rational mind, we need an effective Framework of Knowledge to ground the objective knowledge.
  • note: what you deemed as objective [matters of fact] from an "objective reality" out there independent of human conception, is at the fundamental level of 'substance', illusory and an impossibility.
    You have not proved and supported this speculation of yours.
As such, we need an effective Framework of Knowledge for Morality & Ethics.
You are ignorant of such a requirement thus resulting in all your baseless and groundless counters to my propositions.

Note I stated above;
  • I have already demonstrated,
    "No human ought to prevent another human from breathing"
    as a moral fact derived from a Framework of Morality and is justified from empirical evidence and philosophical reasoning.
Note "Framework of Morality" is the most critical element and ground for my arguments re Morality.

I have already been drumming into you my points with various examples of how we have been using [objective] facts from one or more Framework[s] to facilitate a "judgment" in another Framework of Knowledge.

I have given an example of how the Legal Framework relied on Scientific facts from the Scientific Framework and other facts [other Frameworks] to arrive at legal judgments [within a legal Framework] that qualify as objective legal facts.
Surely there is Entailment between the different Frameworks as long as the original is factual and what follows is logical and rational.
It is also very logical to flow in this case from 'what I know' [epistemology - JTB] to 'what I can do' [moral oughts as moral fact], note it is moral facts not your constipated dogmatic 'fact.'
Do you dispute with this?
You cannot dispute this fact!

Along the similar principles, the Moral Framework also rely of Scientific facts and other facts to arrive at moral judgments that qualify to be termed moral facts.
This is how I arrive at the moral fact from a Moral Framework with its specific characteristics,
  • Moral fact: "No human ought to prevent another human from breathing", from a
    Logical fact: "All humans must breathe" from an
    Empirical Fact: ALL living humans breathe.

    human = alive
Or the other way round;
  • From,
    Empirical Fact: ALL living humans breathe - Science,
    using a Moral Framework and logic,
    Logical fact: "All humans must breathe" to,
    Moral fact: "No human ought to prevent another human from breathing"
Because the moral fact above is a judgment from a Framework of Morality which is collective, it is objective, i.e. independent of individuals' opinions and beliefs.

What are your counters to the above.
Veritas Aequitas
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Re: Morality: The Fact/Opinion Distinction

Post by Veritas Aequitas »

Harbal wrote: Mon May 18, 2020 6:23 pm Could someone give a couple of examples of moral or ethical facts? I would like to know what they are before I try to argue for or against them.
Note my arguments and example of moral facts;

viewtopic.php?p=455804#p455804
Veritas Aequitas
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Re: Morality: The Fact/Opinion Distinction

Post by Veritas Aequitas »

Peter Holmes wrote: Mon May 18, 2020 8:54 pm
Sculptor wrote: Mon May 18, 2020 7:26 pm
Peter Holmes wrote: Mon May 18, 2020 9:57 am But there's no logical entailment from 'Humans must breathe' to 'No human ought to prevent another human from breathing'.

All you do is claim there is a deductive entailment, but you never demonstrate it. So you haven't shown why the consequent is a fact.

Have a very deep. long think about it. And then, let's concentrate on this specific issue.
It's almost as if he does not understand the meaning of the words. I've tried again and again.
Yep. Here's his definition: A fact is a thing that is known to be consistent with objective reality and can be proven to be true with evidence.

And here's his example of a 'moral fact':
No human ought to prevent another human from breathing.

Perhaps there's some hard-wired connection in his brain that makes him think the example fits the definition.
Actually we need an addition qualification;

A fact is a thing that is known to be consistent with objective reality and can be proven to be true with evidence within a specific acceptable and credible Framework of Knowledge, e.g. Scientific Framework, legal, economics, finance, psychology, medical, etc. including the Moral Framework.

The moral fact,
"No human ought to prevent another human from breathing"
is a judgment of moral fact make upon the moral framework and valid only within the moral framework - thus a moral judgment.

Your guess is right,
it is a fact, there's some hard-wired connection in his [all humans'] brain that makes him [them] think the example should fits the definition as judged from the Moral Framework.
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Re: Morality: The Fact/Opinion Distinction

Post by Skepdick »

Harbal wrote: Mon May 18, 2020 10:35 pm
Skepdick wrote: Mon May 18, 2020 10:27 pm The color of this sentence is red.
Exhibit A. :)
Thank you, Captain Triviality for providing me with my very own exhibit.

What I was hoping you'd bring to the table was the "proof and evidence" (as you use those words) for the factuality of the exhibit.
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Harbal
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Re: Morality: The Fact/Opinion Distinction

Post by Harbal »

Skepdick wrote: Tue May 19, 2020 9:08 am
Harbal wrote: Mon May 18, 2020 10:35 pm
Skepdick wrote: Mon May 18, 2020 10:27 pm The color of this sentence is red.
Exhibit A. :)
Thank you, Captain Triviality for providing me with my very own exhibit.

What I was hoping you'd bring to the table was the "proof and evidence" (as you use those words) for the factuality of the exhibit.
Okay. Does the statement that the exhibited sentence is making refer to itself? If so, does it mean that the lettering of the sentence is red, or that the sentence itself is red? Is "sentence" an abstract noun? I'm not sure; I suppose you could argue that it is, or isn't. You can see it, yet to regard it as a physical object doesn't seem quite right. Anyway, if it is an abstract thing, can it even have a colour? Assuming it could have a colour, perhaps we could analyze its wavelength to see if it corresponds to that generally accepted as falling within the category of red. Does anybody here have the necessary equipment to do that?
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Re: Morality: The Fact/Opinion Distinction

Post by Skepdick »

Harbal wrote: Tue May 19, 2020 9:39 am Okay. Does the statement that the exhibited sentence is making refer to itself? If so, does it mean that the lettering of the sentence is red, or that the sentence itself is red? Is "sentence" an abstract noun? I'm not sure; I suppose you could argue that it is, or isn't. You can see it, yet to regard it as a physical object doesn't seem quite right. Anyway, if it is an abstract thing, can it even have a colour? Assuming it could have a colour, perhaps we could analyze its wavelength to see if it corresponds to that generally accepted as falling within the category of red. Does anybody here have the necessary equipment to do that?
I don't know. Those are all questions and challenges for team "facts".

If Peter can't even prove the factuality of something as trivial as the exhibit I've offered him, how does he expect me to prove the factuality of moral claims to him?

When he commits to a method/process by which his burden can be met, then the discussion can continue. Until then - he's burdening us with his inability to prove anything.
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Harbal
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Re: Morality: The Fact/Opinion Distinction

Post by Harbal »

Skepdick wrote: Tue May 19, 2020 9:44 am If Peter can't even prove the factuality of something as trivial as the exhibit I've offered him, how does he expect me to prove the factuality of moral claims to him?
I'm a bit confused. I seem to have lost track of what exactly we are trying to prove. Is it possible to put the issue in question into simple and unambiguous words?
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Re: Morality: The Fact/Opinion Distinction

Post by Skepdick »

Harbal wrote: Tue May 19, 2020 10:04 am I'm a bit confused. I seem to have lost track of what exactly we are trying to prove. Is it possible to put the issue in question into simple and unambiguous words?
Prove factuality.
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Re: Morality: The Fact/Opinion Distinction

Post by Harbal »

Skepdick wrote: Tue May 19, 2020 10:08 am
Harbal wrote: Tue May 19, 2020 10:04 am I'm a bit confused. I seem to have lost track of what exactly we are trying to prove. Is it possible to put the issue in question into simple and unambiguous words?
Prove factuality.
Is there a less vague version of that available?
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Re: Morality: The Fact/Opinion Distinction

Post by Skepdick »

Harbal wrote: Tue May 19, 2020 10:16 am Is there a less vague version of that available?
According to Peter use is meaning.

You know what those damn words mean to you - you are using them.

To claim "vagueness" here is to admit that you have no idea how you are using the words that you are using.
Last edited by Skepdick on Tue May 19, 2020 10:25 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Harbal
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Re: Morality: The Fact/Opinion Distinction

Post by Harbal »

Skepdick wrote: Tue May 19, 2020 10:17 am
Harbal wrote: Tue May 19, 2020 10:16 am Is there a less vague version of that available?
According to Peter use is meaning.

You know what those damn words mean to you - you are using them.

To claim "vagueness" here is to admit that you have no idea how you are using the words that you are using.
I'm not really interested in playing around with words or being deliberately obstructive. I think I'll come back when there is a specific question to be considered.
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Re: Morality: The Fact/Opinion Distinction

Post by Skepdick »

Harbal wrote: Tue May 19, 2020 10:23 am I'm not really interested in playing around with words or being deliberately obstructive. I think I'll come back when there is a specific question to be considered.
The accusation raised at Peter is that he is being deliberately obstructive.

Peter obviously understands what it means to "prove factuality" else he wouldn't be asking us to do it, right?

So I am being charitable by giving him an opportunity to demonstrate the kind of demonstration that he is asking us to perform.

He is intellectually dishonest. I strongly suspect it, but I hope that I am wrong.
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