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A fact is a true datum about one or more aspects of a circumstance. [ 1] Standard reference works are often used to check facts. Scientific facts are verified by repeatable careful observation or measurement by experiments or other means. For example, "This sentence contains words." accurately describes a linguistic fact, and "The sun is a star ...
The fact–value distinction is a fundamental epistemological distinction described between: [ 1] Statements of fact ( positive or descriptive statements ), which are based upon reason and observation, and examined via the empirical method. Statements of value ( normative or prescriptive statements ), which encompass ethics and aesthetics, and ...
Example of a star schema; the central table is the fact table. In data warehousing, a fact table consists of the measurements, metrics or facts of a business process. It is located at the center of a star schema or a snowflake schema surrounded by dimension tables. Where multiple fact tables are used, these are arranged as a fact constellation ...
A scientific theory differs from a scientific fact or scientific law in that a theory seeks to explain "why" or "how", whereas a fact is a simple, basic observation and a law is an empirical description of a relationship between facts and/or other laws. For example, Newton's Law of Gravity is a mathematical equation that can be used to predict ...
Social fact. In sociology, social facts are values, cultural norms, and social structures that transcend the individual and can exercise social control. The French sociologist Émile Durkheim defined the term, and argued that the discipline of sociology should be understood as the empirical study of social facts.
The is–ought problem, as articulated by the Scottish philosopher and historian David Hume, arises when one makes claims about what ought to be that are based solely on statements about what is. Hume found that there seems to be a significant difference between positive (or descriptive) statements (about what is) and prescriptive or normative ...
Brute fact. In contemporary philosophy, a brute fact is a fact that cannot be explained in terms of a deeper, more "fundamental" fact. [1] [2] There are two main ways to explain something: say what "brought it about", or describe it at a more "fundamental" level. [citation needed] For example, a cat displayed on a computer screen can be ...
Factoid. The Great Wall of China is often incorrectly said to be visible from space with the naked eye. A factoid is either an invented or assumed statement presented as a fact, [ 1][ 2] or a true but brief or trivial item of news or information. The term was coined in 1973 by American writer Norman Mailer to mean a piece of information that ...