Facts and Values: Studies in Ethical Analysis

What if your moral convictions - "good," "right," "just" - are not statements of fact but expressions of feeling? In Facts and Values, Charles L. Stevenson tackles that very question, plunging the reader into the heart of ethical language itself.Stevenson argues we live in two discourse streams: one of cold, factual description, and one of vivid, persuasive value. When someone says "Charity is good," we're not stating a natural fact - we're voicing an attitude and urging others to share it. In a world of moral disagreement, Stevenson's insight cuts deep: ethical statements carry both emotion and influence, not just truth value.He explores how we slip between talking about facts and urging values, how definitions are crafted to shift opinions, and how disagreement can coexist with rational argument. Navigating between emotivism and realism, he lights a path through thorny terrain: is morality universal or personal? Are there hidden facts behind our value talk - or only attitudes?This book isn't dry philosophy. It's a sharp, clarifying mirror held to our conversations, debates, and conscience. For anyone who's ever wondered what's really happening when we argue about right and wrong, Facts and Values offers an electrifying map - still widely read today - through the territory where emotion, reason, and moral life collide.