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Chapter 10 - The Fact/Value Dichotomy

from Part III - Challenges

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 April 2026

Tom Angier
Affiliation:
University of Cape Town
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Summary

Part III treats systematic challenges to natural perfectionism, and opens with the so-called fact/value dichotomy. This challenge can be parsed in four main ways. First, the metaphysical challenge, which has historical roots in Hobbes and Hume. This holds that the ‘natural’ cannot accommodate the normative: a claim I argue is question-begging, depriving norms, furthermore, of any proper grounds. Second, the inferential challenge, which maintains that one cannot move validly from ‘is’-type propositions to ‘ought’-type ones. This Humean challenge fails, I argue, since natural perfectionism rests its claims on natural facts that are already inextricably inflected with value. Third, G. E. Moore’s semantic challenge. Moore claims that any naturalistic definition of ‘good’ both commits the ‘naturalistic fallacy’ and falls foul of the ‘open question argument’. I argue that the former is a pseudo-fallacy and that the latter conflates not seeming ‘closed’ with being ‘open’. Fourth, the conceptual challenge attacks ‘thick’ concepts, these being purportedly inextricable amalgams of ‘fact’ and ‘value’. I argue that thick concepts are defensible, for pragmatic, grounding and moral reasons.

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  • The Fact/Value Dichotomy
  • Tom Angier, University of Cape Town
  • Book: Human Nature, Human Goods
  • Online publication: 22 April 2026
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009375573.011
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  • The Fact/Value Dichotomy
  • Tom Angier, University of Cape Town
  • Book: Human Nature, Human Goods
  • Online publication: 22 April 2026
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009375573.011
Available formats
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To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • The Fact/Value Dichotomy
  • Tom Angier, University of Cape Town
  • Book: Human Nature, Human Goods
  • Online publication: 22 April 2026
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009375573.011
Available formats
×