Is–ought problem

Philosophical problem articulated by David Hume

The is–ought problem is the question of whether moral statements about what ought to be can be inferred from objective statements about what is. It was first articulated by the 18th-century Scottish philosopher David Hume, who saw a significant difference between descriptive statements (about what is) and prescriptive statements (about what ought to be). He argued that it is not obvious how one can coherently transition from descriptive statements to prescriptive ones.

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