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Originally Posted by Aiwendil
"Sauron is evil" is not a fact because Tolkien intended it to be; it is a fact because it is inherent in the text.
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Its only a 'fact' if LotR is an 'artwork', if its a pseudo historical text, its a value judgement. What you seem to be saying is that within Middle earth 'evil' is a verifiable 'fact', which confirms my position that the moral/ethical dimension must be taken into account in any discussion about 'canonicity'(please correct me if I've misunderstood your position).
What I'm saying is that the moral dimension, if it is a 'given' as I think you're saying, must be taken into account as it actaully
determines canonicity as much as any historical or 'linguistic' facts, which can be 'scientifically' verified by resort to source texts.
Bethberry's point
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The question turns on what we would agree is the moral value Tolkien espouses in the books.
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doesn't entirely invalidate the point, as it is still a question of whether the 'moral value' Tolkien espouses in the books (whether or not that corresponds with his own personal moral values) should be treated as a 'fact' within Middle earth, or merely the storyteller's opinion.