--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What you did was to draw a conclusion…" description: "\"“What you did was to draw a conclusion from a descriptive sentence--That person wants to live too'--to what we call a normative sentence: 'Therefore yo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d8/jostein-gaarder-676_point-of-view_what-you-did-was-to-draw-a-conclusion-fr_1982909.jpg" --- # What you did was to draw a conclusion from a descriptive… ![“What you did was to draw a conclusion from a descriptive sentence--That person wants to live too'--to what we call a normative sentence: 'Therefore you ought not to kill them.' From the point of view of reason this is nonsense. You might just as well say 'There are lots of people who cheat on…” quote by Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d8/jostein-gaarder-676_point-of-view_what-you-did-was-to-draw-a-conclusion-fr_1982909.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d8/jostein-gaarder-676_point-of-view_what-you-did-was-to-draw-a-conclusion-fr_1982909.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d8/jostein-gaarder-676_point-of-view_what-you-did-was-to-draw-a-conclusion-fr_1982909.jpg) > ““What you did was to draw a conclusion from a descriptive sentence--That person wants to live too'--to what we call a normative sentence: 'Therefore you ought not to kill them.' From the point of view of reason this is nonsense. You might just as well say 'There are lots of people who cheat on their taxes, therefore I ought to cheat on my taxes too.' Hume said you can never draw conclusions from is sentences to ought sentences. Nevertheless it is exceedingly common, not least in newspaper articles, political party programs, and speeches.”” [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage explains the logical fallacy of deriving an "ought" from an "is," arguing that factual statements cannot directly dictate moral prescriptions without additional reasoning. **In simple terms:** You can't base moral rules solely on facts. Key Takeaway Separate descriptive facts from normative judgments. Themes philosophy logic ethics Mood inquisitive critical skeptical Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - legal reasoning - public policy - media commentary - academic debate Key Concepts is‑ought problem Hume's law Questions to Reflect On - What extra premises are needed to move from fact to duty? - Can any factual claim ever justify a moral rule? A Different Perspective Moral conclusions often need extra premises beyond facts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Newspaper Article](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/newspaper-article/) [Normative Sentence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/normative-sentence-3395246/) [Ought Cheat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ought-cheat-3395247/) [Ought Sentences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ought-sentences-3147845/) [Point of view](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/point-of-view/) [Political party](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-party/) [Sentence Ought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentence-ought-3395245/) [Sentences Ought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentences-ought-3395244/) ## Related quotes > [I should rather like to tear these last pages out of the book. Shall I? No-a journal ought not to cheat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/i-should-rather-like-to-tear-these-last-pages-out-of-the-book-shall-i/) [Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/) > [Someone ought to do it, but why should I? Someone ought to do it, so why not I? Between these two sentences lie whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-besant/someone-ought-to-do-it-but-why-should-i-someone-ought-to-do-it-so-why/) [Annie Besant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-besant/) > [Some people read an interesting or provocative newspaper article, and that's the end of that. A writer reads such an article, and her imagination…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/some-people-read-an-interesting-or-provocative-newspaper-article-and/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [I thought, Hey, maybe these people shouldn't be making up holidays to drink more. Maybe if they drank less they might be able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/i-thought-hey-maybe-these-people-shouldn-t-be-making-up-holidays-to/) [Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/) > [I have a very long pre-writing process where I'm jotting down ideas in a notebook and ripping out relevant newspaper articles - a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-mccafferty/i-have-a-very-long-pre-writing-process-where-i-m-jotting-down-ideas/) [Megan McCafferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-mccafferty/) > [“Genealogy becomes a mania, an obsessive struggle to penetrate the past and snatch meaning from an infinity of names. At some point the search…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wiencek/genealogy-becomes-a-mania-an-obsessive-struggle-to-penetrate-the-past/) [Henry Wiencek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wiencek/) > [“The hipster narrative about gentrification isn’t necessarily inaccurate—young people are indeed moving to cities and opening craft breweries and wearing tight clothing—but it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-moskowitz/the-hipster-narrative-about-gentrification-isn-t-necessarily/) [Peter Moskowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-moskowitz/) > [The lack of opportunity is ever the excuse of a weak, vacillating mind. Opportunities! Every life is full of them. Every newspaper article is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/the-lack-of-opportunity-is-ever-the-excuse-of-a-weak-vacillating-mind/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [I went through a period of first successes. Then there was the inevitable change: the bad newspaper articles. Some people don't care about that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-hepburn/i-went-through-a-period-of-first-successes-then-there-was-the/) [Audrey Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-hepburn/) > [When I broadcast my first NFL game during the 1989 season, I had absolutely no idea what to study or how to study. NBC…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cris-collinsworth/when-i-broadcast-my-first-nfl-game-during-the-1989-season-i-had/) [Cris Collinsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cris-collinsworth/) > [“Not to mention the fact that the belief in conspiracy theories is already a form of conspiracy theory in itself. It's to me not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martinus-hendrikus-benders/not-to-mention-the-fact-that-the-belief-in-conspiracy-theories-is/) [Martinus Hendrikus Benders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martinus-hendrikus-benders/) > [Meaning is a shaky edifice we build out of scraps, dogmas, childhood injuries, newspaper articles, chance remarks, old fillms, small victories, people hated, people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/meaning-is-a-shaky-edifice-we-build-out-of-scraps-dogmas-childhood/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [Dreams, though, are just one kind of inspiration - no more or less special than something in a newspaper article or from the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/dreams-though-are-just-one-kind-of-inspiration-no-more-or-less/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [When I need to take a side, I write a newspaper article and I tell my government, "You should not do that, you should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/when-i-need-to-take-a-side-i-write-a-newspaper-article-and-i-tell-my/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [ “Burridge goes on to say, “\[T\]rying to decode the Gospels through the genre of modern biography, when the author encoded his message in the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-horn/burridge-goes-on-to-say-t-rying-to-decode-the-gospels-through-the/) [Trent Horn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-horn/) ## More by Jostein Gaarder > [“I no longer feel the need to see and sense more than I've already experienced. I just want so desperately to hang on what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/i-no-longer-feel-the-need-to-see-and-sense-more-than-i-ve-already/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [The most subversive people are those who ask questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/the-most-subversive-people-are-those-who-ask-questions/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [The sophists were as a rule men who had traveled widely and seen different forms of government. Both conventions and local laws in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/the-sophists-were-as-a-rule-men-who-had-traveled-widely-and-seen/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [Where did the world come from? The question has an answer, even though I cannot get to it. It is a good question. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/where-did-the-world-come-from-the-question-has-an-answer-even-though/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [“As soon as she concentrated on being alive now, the thought of dying also came into her mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/as-soon-as-she-concentrated-on-being-alive-now-the-thought-of-dying/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [“Po haljini sam mogao da vidim kako njeno telo diše, jer se haljina dizala i spuštala, dizala i spuštala, skoro kao da morski talasi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/po-haljini-sam-mogao-da-vidim-kako-njeno-telo-di-e-jer-se-haljina/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [Since the Renaissance, people have had to get used to living their life on a random planet in the vast galaxy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/since-the-renaissance-people-have-had-to-get-used-to-living-their/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [“without imagination, nothing really new will ever be created.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/without-imagination-nothing-really-new-will-ever-be-created/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [“The German poet Goethe once said that "he who cannot draw on three thousand years is living from hand to mouth." I don't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/the-german-poet-goethe-once-said-that-he-who-cannot-draw-on-three/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [“Sophie left the den and wandered about in the large garden. She tried to forget what she had learned at school, especially in science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/sophie-left-the-den-and-wandered-about-in-the-large-garden-she-tried/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [...long before the child learns to talk properly-and long before it learns to think philosophically-the world will have become a habit. A pity, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/long-before-the-child-learns-to-talk-properly-and-long-before-it/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [“any one question can be more explosive than a thousand answers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/any-one-question-can-be-more-explosive-than-a-thousand-answers/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [“We can't own each other's past. The question is whether we have a future together.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/we-can-t-own-each-other-s-past-the-question-is-whether-we-have-a/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [“Uno no muere en medio del quinto acto.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/uno-no-muere-en-medio-del-quinto-acto/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [“Wer das Schicksal durchschauen will, muss es überleben.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/wer-das-schicksal-durchschauen-will-muss-es-berleben/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) [Explore all 305 Jostein Gaarder quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) ## More Point of view quotes > [I've always been fascinated by the idea that there's no such thing as evil; it's all in your point of view. To one group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-by-the-idea-that-there-s-no-such-thing-as/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [ \[The Dalai Lama\] told me some years ago, "I've made every concession to China, and I've been as open and tolerant as I could,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/the-dalai-lama-told-me-some-years-ago-i-ve-made-every-concession-to/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [History is a certain way, but you just change the point of view a little bit, and you discover a whole new side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-schroeder/history-is-a-certain-way-but-you-just-change-the-point-of-view-a/) [Allison Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-schroeder/) > [I have a tendency to often share the point of view of the conspiracy theory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-cotillard/i-have-a-tendency-to-often-share-the-point-of-view-of-the-conspiracy/) [Marion Cotillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-cotillard/) > [When you are writing for an artist you are trying to get into that artist's point of view. What does that artist want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-wildhorn/when-you-are-writing-for-an-artist-you-are-trying-to-get-into-that/) [Frank Wildhorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-wildhorn/) > [Eventually the consumer will come to appreciate the editorial point of view of every different brand. User-generated content without editorial oversight will simply be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eisner/eventually-the-consumer-will-come-to-appreciate-the-editorial-point/) [Michael Eisner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eisner/) > [Donald Trump doesn't necessarily stay mad for very long. He's a transactional guy. If you can offer him something, he will take it. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/donald-trump-doesn-t-necessarily-stay-mad-for-very-long-he-s-a/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [The thing I try to tell people who are just starting in the business is to listen to yourself, trust yourself, and be kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessie-mueller/the-thing-i-try-to-tell-people-who-are-just-starting-in-the-business/) [Jessie Mueller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessie-mueller/) > [Music is escapism from the grim realities of life. But then as soon as you escape into the music, from my point of view,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lydon/music-is-escapism-from-the-grim-realities-of-life-but-then-as-soon-as/) [John Lydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lydon/) > [“Nothing is ever right, it just isn't wrong from our point of view.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-gomez/nothing-is-ever-right-it-just-isn-t-wrong-from-our-point-of-view/) [Bryan Gomez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-gomez/) > [At some point, you have to disconnect, if the obsession with playing a real person gets in the way of the movie at large.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-edgerton/at-some-point-you-have-to-disconnect-if-the-obsession-with-playing-a/) [Joel Edgerton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-edgerton/) > [He decided then that he would love her forever no matter what came to pass. It was not so much a matter of deciding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-guterson/he-decided-then-that-he-would-love-her-forever-no-matter-what-came-to/) [David Guterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-guterson/) > [The sense that in this universe we are treated as strangers, the longing to be acknowledged, to meet with some response, to bridge some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-sense-that-in-this-universe-we-are-treated-as-strangers-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What was unique about me being in City Hall during the Giuliani Administration, I was the only one who wasn't an attorney. I may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lhota/what-was-unique-about-me-being-in-city-hall-during-the-giuliani/) [Joe Lhota](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lhota/) [Browse all 3,298 Point of view quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/point-of-view/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“What you did was to draw a conclusion from a descriptive sentence--That person wants to live too'--to what we call a normative sentence: 'Therefore you ought not to kill them.' From the point of view of reason this is nonsense. You might just as well say 'There are lots of people who cheat on their taxes, therefore I ought to cheat on my taxes too.' Hume said you can never draw conclusions from is sentences to ought sentences. Nevertheless it is exceedingly common, not least in newspaper articles, political party programs, and speeches.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jostein Gaarder" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/what-you-did-was-to-draw-a-conclusion-from-a-descriptive-sentence/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Point of view" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/what-you-did-was-to-draw-a-conclusion-from-a-descriptive-sentence/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d8/jostein-gaarder-676_point-of-view_what-you-did-was-to-draw-a-conclusion-fr_1982909.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d8/jostein-gaarder-676_point-of-view_what-you-did-was-to-draw-a-conclusion-fr_1982909.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d8/jostein-gaarder-676_point-of-view_what-you-did-was-to-draw-a-conclusion-fr_1982909.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What you did was to draw a conclusion from a descriptive sentence--That person wants to live too'--to what…” — Jostein Gaarder", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jostein Gaarder", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“What you did was to draw...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/what-you-did-was-to-draw-a-conclusion-from-a-descriptive-sentence/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/what-you-did-was-to-draw-a-conclusion-from-a-descriptive-sentence/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```