Following nature means following the facts. It means…
““Following nature means following the facts. It means getting the facts about the physical and social world we inhabit, and the facts about our situation in it—our own powers, relationships, limitations, possibilities, motives, intentions, and endeavors—before we deliberate about normative matters. It means facing those facts—accepting them for exactly what they are, no more and no less—before we draw normative conclusions from them. It means doing ethics from the facts—constructing normative propositions a posteriori. It means adjusting those normative propositions to fit changes in the facts, and accepting those adjustments for exactly what they are, no more and no less. And it means living within the facts—within the realm of actual rather than hypothetical norms.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Ethics should start from empirical reality, grounding norms in actual facts about people and society before drawing conclusions.
In simple terms: Base morals on real facts, not assumptions.
Key Takeaway
Ground decisions in reality.
Themes
ethics
empiricism
normative theory
Mood
analytical
thoughtful
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- policy making
- personal decision making
- social research
- legal judgments
Key Concepts
fact‑based reasoning
a posteriori ethics
Questions to Reflect On
- How do we verify the facts we base ethics on?
- What happens when facts change rapidly?
A Different Perspective
Facts may be incomplete or biased, leading to flawed norms.