I suppose it is obvious that our rational inclinations include everything pertaining to seeking the truth, especially the most important truth, the truth about God. As the eyes seek to see, as the lungs seek to breath, so the mind seeks to deliberate and attain knowledge.
The original “Is and Ought" post
Not only is it possible to make inferences from is to ought, that is, from descriptive premises to evaluative conclusions -- but it is also possible to make inferences from ought to is.
When I show my students the following passage, some of them are unable to take it in. They think the author must merely mean that pregnancy increases the risk of certain illnesses. No, that is not what he is saying. Read it again carefully. I’ve added boldface for emphasis.
Mondays are for student letters. This student writes from the University of Chicago.
Question:
“It is idle to talk always of the alternative of reason and faith. Reason is itself a matter of faith. It is an act of faith to assert that our thoughts have any relation to reality at all.”
Why do we assume that business firms are engaged in the “pursuit of self-interest,” but that government bureaucracies are engaged in “public service”?
Far be it from me to suggest that businessmen don’t pursue their interests. Of course they do. They want greater profits, a larger market share, and higher stature.
