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Applied Ethics · Chapter 1

The Is–Ought Bridge

Hume noticed in 1740 that arguments about morality slide, without warning, from sentences about what is to sentences about what ought to be. Build an argument here by switching premises on and off, and watch whether it can actually reach its conclusion. The bridge only spans the gap when a value premise is out in the open where someone can challenge it.

1 · Pick a live argument

2 · Switch premises on and off

Does the argument cross?

Bridge diagram from facts to conclusion A left pier of stacked fact bricks, a right platform holding the ought conclusion, and a span between them that is only complete when a value premise is included. IS THE FACTS OUGHT THE CONCLUSION
Nothing selected yetTurn on a premise or two on the left.
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Fact premises
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Value premises

Everyday leaps — tap to expose the hidden premise

Hume’s law is not anti-evidence. It says facts are necessary but never sufficient. Its practical use is to make people state the value premise they were hiding — because a hidden premise cannot be argued with.