The Solution to the Is-Ought Problem based on Critical Rationalism and Evolutionary Theory

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Authors

Publication Details

Journal
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Published
2026-05-12
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20143214
Primary Topic
Embodied and Extended Cognition
Type
preprint
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preprint

The Solution to the Is-Ought Problem based on Critical Rationalism and Evolutionary Theory

Frieder Sebastian Delor
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Embodied and Extended Cognition
preprint

The Solution to the Is-Ought Problem based on Critical Rationalism and Evolutionary Theory

Frieder Sebastian Delor
preprint en

Abstract

This paper solves the is-ought problem on the basis of critical rationalism, the Quine-Duhem thesis, and Bunge's ontology. It shows that the naturalistic fallacy is a special case of the definist fallacy and provides no general barrier against empirical-naturalistic ethics. This reconstruction avoids the error by reconstructing the normative standard empirically. Existing impossibility proofs for is-ought inferences hold only within specific systems; a general impossibility proof cannot be provided. Systems producing unbridgeable is-ought gaps sever normative statements from reality and are disqualified as candidates for rational ethics. The paper reconstructs "ought" as a goal-relative ophelic operator, identifies lineage fitness as the teleonomic ultimate goal of living systems empirically reconstructed through evolutionary theory, and demonstrates formally how normative statements follow without normative premises. It provides the first solution to the is-ought problem in which assumptions, derivation, and normative consequences are equally open to criticism and testable against experience. Eine Deutsche Version kann hier gefunden werden: https://philpapers.org/rec/DELDLD-13

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Peace, Justice and strong institutions
Embodied and Extended Cognition
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The Solution to the Is-Ought Problem based on Critical Rationalism and Evolutionary Theory — Frieder Sebastian Delor · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS