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No fact of the matter
Author(s) -
Baumann Marius
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
metaphilosophy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.475
H-Index - 35
eISSN - 1467-9973
pISSN - 0026-1068
DOI - 10.1111/meta.12498
Subject(s) - normative , counterexample , epistemology , philosophy , domain (mathematical analysis) , sociology , mathematics , mathematical analysis , discrete mathematics
Abstract Theodore Sider has argued that while there are some philosophical debates about which there is no fact of the matter, debates in normative ethics are likely not among them. This essay investigates a possible counterexample: the debate about so‐called dirty hands. The essay first surveys several cases where No‐Fact‐of‐the‐Matter (NFM) claims have been made. Taking its cue from these cases, it then outlines two strategies that factualists about some domain can take, as well as two non‐factualist counter strategies. Next, it shows how an NFM claim can be defended for the debate about dirty hands. Finally, it argues that this NFM claim is at least as, if not more, plausible for normative ethics as it is for the other instances where NFM claims have been made.