Printer-friendly version
Send by emailDistinguishing Facts from Values: Additional Resources
These references supplement the Knowledge Base Essay, Distinguishing Facts from Values.
|
Additional Explanations of the Underlying Concepts: Online (Web) Sources Separating Factual Disputes from Value Disputes in Controversies over Technology. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center. Available at: http://www.ortho.lsuhsc.edu/Faculty/Marino/Papers/Cite44.html [Backup Link] This article illustrates an application of seperating facts from values. Offline (Print) Sources "Conceptions of Value in Environmental Decision-Making." Environmental Valuation in Europe 9:4, 2000. This essay challenges the practice of categorizing value concerns as commodities according to an economic model of efficiency and welfare gain. The writers argue that concepts of justice, fairness, and ethics cannot be reduced to quantifiable resources, calling for processes of deliberation and dialogue in policy-making. Facts, Values, and Morality. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, October 1996. This book examines moral judgments in light of personal values, social values, and intrinsic values, discussing the philosophical and scientific origins of morality. "The Ethical Basis of Mediation: Why Mediators Need Philosophers." Mediation Quarterly 7:1, 1989. A discussion of the relevance of formal ethics to mediation. "What Are The Value Conflicts and Assumptions?." In Asking the Right Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking. Prentice Hall, June 1, 2000. Pages: 59-76. This chapter covers how to identify and address values in arguments, especially when they are confused with factual claims. Examples Illustrating this Topic: Online (Web) Sources Robinson, Bruce A. Abortion: All Sides of the Issue. Available at: http://www.religioustolerance.org/abortion.htm [Backup Link] This site provides a wide array of information regarding the issue of abortion in the United States, Canada, and internationally. This site is designed to thoroughly present both sides of the issue and includes sections on several aspects of the debate, including: Basic Facts about pregnancy and abortion; Religious/ethical aspects; Public opinion; Laws and regulations concerning abortion; Methods of preventing pregnancy; Methods of terminating a pregnancy; Books on abortion for personal study; and Items on abortion culled from the media. Druyan, Ann and Carl Sagan. Abortion: Is it Possible to be Both "Pro-Life" and "Pro-Choice"?. Available at: http://www.2think.org/abortion.shtml [Backup Link] An overview and history of the U.S. abortion debate, dealing with relevant facts and values associated with pro-choice and the right to life views. Davies, Emily. Brucellosis and Yellowstone Bison in Montana. University of Colorado. Available at: Primary Link [Backup Link] This essay addresses the issues surrounding the conflict between animal rights activists and the federal and state government regarding the allowance of killing Yellowstone buffaloes that wander outside the boundaries of the national park. Sebren, Ann. Constructive Response to Amendment 2. University of Colorado. Available at: Primary Link [Backup Link] This paper is an edited transcript of a talk given by Ann Sebren for the Intractable Conflict/Constructive Confrontation Project on April 10, 1993. It details constructive approaches to dealing with "value issues" such as Gay Rights. The Amendment in question is one which takes away some of the rights of gay and lesbian citizens. The paper discusses the complexity of the gay/lesbian rights debate and highlights some of the differences between the ethical issues and factual issues. Kahn, Jeffrey P. Embryonic Ethics. Available at: http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/bioethics/9906/embryonic.ethics/ [Backup Link] An overview of the biological and ethical issues involved in the facts versus moral value debate involving the use of stem cells for scientific/medical research and treatment. Moore, Roderick. "Facts, Values, and Racialism." , Available at: http://www.libertarian.co.uk/lapubs/polin/polin016.pdf [Backup Link] A paper discussing equal rights under the framework of a distinction between facts and values. The central argument is that whatever facts are gathered regarding various racial features and differences, none of these translate into a difference in value. Therefore, members of all races justifiably should have equal rights. Facts, Values, and Racialism. Available at: http://www.libertarian.co.uk/lapubs/polin/polin016.pdf [Backup Link] A paper distinguishing the relevance of values from the facts in matters of equal rights. Offline (Print) Sources Pence, Gregory E. Classic Cases in Medical Ethics. McGraw Hll, 2000. Accounts of cases that have shaped medical ethics, with philosophical, legal, and historical backgrounds. Nussbaum, Martha C., Cass R. Sunstein and Roderick M. Kramer, eds. Clones and Clones: Facts and Fantasies about Human Cloning. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, August 1998. An anthology of essays regarding the scientific, ethical, religious, social, and legal aspects of human cloning. Opposing sides of the debates are represented, and the distinction between the value conflicts and factual conflicts are clearly made. The Holston River Case. Directed and/or Produced by: Jagerman, Alexander. A case study that describes the negotiations between the Tennessee Eastman Company and the EPA. The Human Embryo Research Debates. Oxford University Press, 2001. An overview of the scientific aspects and moral dilemmas regarding the use of human embryos for medical research and treatment. Pence, Gregory E. "The Quinlan Case." In Classic Cases in Medical Ethics. McGraw Hll, 2000. Pages: 29-51. This example represents a complex intermingling of technical facts and value judgements. Audiovisual Materials on this Topic: Offline (Print) Sources Race - The Power of an Illusion . Directed and/or Produced by: Adelman, Larry. California Newsreel. 2003. This four part series destroys the myth of race. It shows that race has no biological basis, rather it only has societal consequences. It has been used to justify the abuse of one human population by another and to denote social and economic inequalities as being natural rather than humanly created. Primary Link [Backup Link] The Abortion Pill . Directed and/or Produced by: Lipschutz, Marion and Rose Rosenblatt. First Run Icarus Films. 1997. This film gives voice to both sides of the abortion conflict, as it focuses on the moral and factual issues associated with legalizing RU486, the abortion pill. Primary Link [Backup Link] |
