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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This 4 page paper examines this well known problem in Hume's writings. Examples are provided. Bibliography lists 2 sources.
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4 pages (~225 words per page)
File: RT13_SA812Hum.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
question. Hume is not suggesting that all is good and should be accepted, but rather looks at the logic of saying that something is a certain way but should be
another. Can an "ought" be a logical result of an "is"? According to Hume, the answer is no. The is-ought problem in logic is succinctly explained by Schurz (1997): "He
stated that from what is (or is not), nothing about what ought to be (or ought not to be) can logically be concluded" (p.1). Zhai (1994) points out that while
attempts have been made to draw a conclusion from "is" with ought, it cannot be done in the reverse. That is, one cannot derive an is from an ought. One
cannot say for example that there ought to be a curfew. Therefore, teenagers are acting rambunctious at night. One does not follow the other. Therefore, the only logical way to
look at this problem is that it is a problem of logic that only flows one way. "Is" is related to verifiable experience, but "ought" is different (Zhai, 1994). Zhai
(1994) explains: "The standard interpretation of Humes is-ought passage is that Hume intended to expose an unbridgeable gap from is to ought, and to change moral systems developed before him
with complicity in an illegitimate process of reasoning" (p.6). Essentially, he is assaying that moral principles cannot be expanded from non-moral principles. Another example may help to shed light on
the predicament. A mother tells her daughter to do something but she prefaces the suggestion by something that exists. She says: "Your father is very upset about the way you
spoke to him earlier. You should apologize." The daughter does not feel that there is a reason to apologize as she simply spoke her mind. Yet, the mother uses logic.
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