Fact Value Distinction

### What Is the Fact/Value Dichotomy?

Parking info: The parking lot may be busy; u can find street parking on Mayview Ave residential area instead.

Traditionally, philosophers think that there is a sharp division between factual statements (objective, empirical) and value judgments. And such division is called fact/value dichotomy.

###

Fact (Descriptive) : Statements about what is—empirically verifiable and objective –
“Water boils at 100°C at sea level.”
Value (Normative): Statements about what ought to be—based on judgments, ethics, or aesthetics – “We ought to conserve water.”

This distinction implies that facts are objective and universal, while values are subjective and culturally contingent.

• Science is seen as value-free: It deals only with facts, not ethical or social values.
• Ethics and aesthetics are marginalized: They’re treated as subjective preferences, not rational domains.
• Public discourse is skewed: Scientific claims are privileged over moral or cultural ones, often silencing value-based reasoning.

In this session we discuss if such division is legitimate.