Sachurteile

Sachurteil is a German term that denotes a factual or descriptive judgment about how things are. It refers to a proposition that asserts the state of the world and can be judged as true or false, independently of the speaker’s attitudes or preferences.

In philosophy, logic and linguistics, Sachurteil is contrasted with Werturteil, a value or normative judgment. A typical Sachurteil makes an assertion about facts or states of affairs, such as "Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius at sea level" or "The conference starts at nine." These statements are meant to be truth-apt and subject to evidence or observation, whereas Werturteile express evaluations like "This decision is good" or "This action is inappropriate."

In legal practice, the term is used to distinguish judgments on the facts from legal conclusions. A Sachurteil (finding of fact) addresses what happened, often based on evidence and witness testimony, such as whether a contract was signed or whether a negligent act occurred. The court’s Rechtsurteil (legal judgment) applies relevant laws to those facts to determine liability or rights. Beweiswürdigung, the evaluation of evidence, is the component that underpins the Sachurteil.

The distinction between Sachurteil and Werturteil is sometimes debated. Critics argue that even factual judgments can be influenced by interpretive frameworks and normative assumptions, especially in fields like social sciences. Nevertheless, the concept remains a useful shorthand for separating descriptive claims about the world from evaluative judgments about value or ought. See also: Werturteil, Beweiswürdigung, descriptive vs normative judgments.