Fact vs. Opinion Carroll Community College Mission & Vision Mission of Carroll Community College: "a vibrant, learner-centered community, . Now we know that is wrong. If you don’t believe me...well it is easy to test and verify by stepping off of a roof. One of my biggest pet peeves is when people say, “I’m just telling the truth.” We use this statement as a defense mechanism. My strong supposition is that you're the same. Truth is a proposition that is true (how's that for circular, but usually meaning the proposition accords with reality), independent of opinion or our ability to know that truth. Clearly, your points and objections are cogent and compelling but please consider the intention of the post is to stimulate thought and discussion. But whether peer-reviewed or not, thought, if it is to succeed in its tasks, must be coherent--no?--especially if critiquing confused thought and sentiment is the aim. To reiterate my previous point, a truth need not be witnessed to be true. The advertisements contained in this post do not necessarily reflect my opinions nor are they endorsed by me. My non-professional opinion (I'm a retired reference librarian with an M.A. Facts are neither true nor false; they're simply givens of experience (which include, of course, our tastes). They will claim the earth is indeed a mere 6,500 years old and "The Fintstones" was basically an animated documentary! 'Vehemence-tentativeness' and 'fiction-fact,' in short, are conceptually unrelated distinctions which we have no reason to suppose share common extensions. There are lots of ways that people try to use opinions as facts — and people who try to make facts look like opinions. Just the Facts, Just the facts e Friday said that a lot. A fact can be tested or checked: Lincoln was born in 1809; that cereal contains 21 grams of sugar; the speed of light is 186,000 miles per second (in a vacuum). Ethics is on the lowest of points in this time, many studies and they can not be reproduce. Most of my strongly worded, passionate opinions are doled out deliberately. It clearly can't be a matter of intelligence; many fanatics are exceptionally intelligent, and their ability to weave all facts brought to their attention into frightening but difficult-to-challenge narratives is very real. Truth is a notion that people honestly think is correct, and a fact is an idea that has empirical and scientific evidence to support it's validity, has been proven repeatedly, and for which no compelling, alternative is supported by the available evidence. Absolutely nobody believed the world was flat 1000 years ago. Of course, there will inevitably be people whose "truth" does not square with objective facts. Why You Have Romantic Feelings for Someone You Hardly Know, Psychology Today © 2021 Sussex Publishers, LLC, AI Machine Learning Used to Predict Psychosis, Why Some Children Live With a Persistent Fear of Abandonment, How Narcissism Distorts Self-Image via Self-Concept Clarity, Why You're More Sensitive Than Most People, Ethics and Honesty in an Age of Alternative Facts, The Historical Origin of "Alternative Facts", From Facebook to Twitter: Finding the Political Truth, We Need Truth More Than Ever, but It's Elusive, Illusory Truth, Lies, and Political Propaganda: Part 1. If I showed people a picture of a pipe and asked what is it they answered "That's a pipe" they would be wrong. People use facts to create their own opinions about a certain topic. LEGO Braille Bricks Help Blind Children Learn to Read. The Bill O'Reilly example is just the first one that comes to mind. Truth, by definition, means the actual state of a matter or that it is a verified or indisputable fact.. Our inability to see the difference as important is part of the reason our world is in such turmoil. Opinion is an expression of judgment or belief about something. Nevertheless, when not dealing with clear-cut facts, an emotionally intelligent person will say, “It seems to me…" "It’s my impression…" "I think…" "I believe…" or "In my opinion…" rather than make emphatic declarations with absolute certainty. "[An] opinion is what a person believes or thinks about something." Similarly, an "alternative fact" is just a feeble effort to promote what might be one's "truth" as an actual fact. Clearly, it has achieved that purpose with you and your argument is most cogent and quite scholarly. No it's a candy bar. This isn't to suggest he's not open to input (again, this is something somebody else might know about him, but I don't). Having teased apart these various distinctions, and looking back over the several attempts to explain the difference between fact and opinion, we might propose the following definitions: I just wonder how many things now considered "facts" might be proven to be wrong (and just the "opinion" of ignorant people) in the future? Not 1092, right? Should You Be in a Romantic Relationship? But what I would really like to know is who or what decides what is a "fact?" The Difference Between Truth and Opinion Now when we begin to discuss the word of God, like in a Bible study, when we begin to talk about “the truth” out loud, in front of others, we should settle one very important issue at the outset; the difference between truth and opinion. For example, there are many facts about goings-on in galaxies far far away for which we lack evidence and proof, but they are still facts. Still, every person has a right to express opinions without being ridiculed or shouted down. a. In this sense we are all 'opinionated;' and 'being right' is presumably important to everybody, including the article's author. To understand more completely, let's define each. One important feature of the fact is that it is universal and does not differ from person to person. One is a fact, the other If someone mistakenly believes the earth is a mere 6500 years old, his holding this belief is itself a fact about him; but the belief doesn't qualify as the 'truth,' for him or anybody else. The Earth is round, and people in the past and even today who say otherwise are mistaken. in philosophy, not a psychologist) is that the 'vehemence' problem is a formidable one. The fact is described as the statement that can be verified or proved to be true. Thank you for your comment. Ifwe were to look back into history it will tell us that GeorgeWashington really was the first president. Facts and opinions are two words that we come across very commonly. I am a secondary school English teacher and there is a lot of rubbish written on this part of the curriculum that would lead to such absurdities as, for example, the atomic weight of sodium is a fact, but the proposition 'raping babies is wrong' is merely an opinion." Fact is a statement of our knowledge about the truth value of some proposition, and we're asserting that we have a high degree of confidence in our knowledge. If the fact/opinion distinction were identical to the fact/value distinction, then once again we would need to revise our common thinking about facts and opinions. The artist Rene Margritte painted a depiction of a pipe and then wrote under Facts tell us about the world. Thanks again, David, for your very thoughtful and well stated comment. The difference between fact and opinion on the following grounds: The fact is described as the statement that can be verified or proved to be true. Well... might as well shoot you, because I seriously doubt you can live in that world. They fail to realize that there is a big difference between facts on the one hand, and truth, opinion, belief, taste, and preference on the other. I think you might be referring to opinions rather than facts and conflating the issue with semantics. Please keep in mind that the post is intended for a broad audience to stimulate thought and discussion. For instance, to say 70 percent of all goods are sold through channels is a fact. Indeed, it's misleading, since either kind of opinion can be vehemently or tentatively held and expressed. It was established long ago. Preferably about the absurdity of "alternative facts," and other sophistic ploys that are attributable to our current leadership. Truth, on the other hand, is all about meaning. Moreover, just because we dislike or disapprove of something does not make it wrong. Beliefs are often just ideas that most people of a prevailing era agree are true despite no scientific evidence of their accuracy. Thank you, Mark, for a most erudite analysis of my post. Such a listing im-plies that there is a difference between facts and opinions and that this difference can be reliably detected. Facts are real information and so it cannot be challenged or debated, but if we talk about opinions, they can be debated. Usually, we are unable to understand the real meanings of truth, fact, perception & belief. An opinion, in contrast to a fact, is a statement that reflects an author's or the speaker's point of view, beliefs, perspective, personal feelings, and values; opinions cannot be verified and proven to be true or false like a fact can be verified and proven to be true; however, a person's opinion can be supported or refuted when a critical thinker and a critically thinking reader of a text scrutinizes and critically evaluate… Such people are often insufferable and are seldom genuinely liked. A fact is a thing that can be proven as true by someone else. ” Henry exclaimed, “it is a matter of fact.”. 2. This truth can test through observation, experimentation, experience or some other means. To put it another way, discerning truth is a matter of interpreting the facts. This is what you get when you 'stimulate discussion.' Opinion is an expression of judgment or belief about something. beliefs) and reality (e.g. In this case, the belief (or perhaps more strictly speaking, the belief's content) can be checked for accuracy or truth. The denigration of 'taste' is also problematic, and the notion that taste can't be 'tested or checked' is bizarre. Another important difference between fact and truth is that a fact answers several questions such as ‘where’, ‘when’ and ‘how.’ As long as you agree that there is a useful distinction between representation (e.g. Opinions tell us about what people think about the world. Call themselves ignorants. The difference may seem subtle, but it is not. An opinion is not always true and cannot be proven. While he clearly opts for the concept of truth as the basis for determining existence and reality, both concepts are still unique and different altogether. Copyright 2017 Clifford N. Lazarus, Ph.D. For example, mathematical facts aren't supported by any empirical or scientific evidence, yet they are facts nonetheless. Thanks for your comment, Clifford. Henry was regarded as opinionated. engages students as active learners, prepares them for an increasingly diverse and changing world, and encourages their lifelong learning." Clifford N. Lazarus, Ph.D., is Clinical Director of The Lazarus Institute. It can thus be said that a fact is the subset of truth. https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-facts-and-opinions anon945062 April 10, 2014 . This is the "truth" of the current age and, more importantly, facts that are not likely to change much in the future. Opinions are the result of emotion or interpretation of facts. Remember: Think well, Act well, Feel well, Be well! Imagine a scenario in which, in order to make things right in the world, you are obliged to shoot your son or daughter. Who knows, if we went on long enough, we might find that we are just disagreeing about how words should be used, and that is not a very interesting disagreement (at least *this* disagreement wouldn't be very interesting if it were merely terminological). Vecteezy Our efforts at self-preservation have allowed us to distort the truth. It's that qualified someone's belief about the author and his professional credentials that we normally think of as being correct or incorrect, true or false, not the facts themselves. But the truth is that people that affirms is good, have not done endocrinology studies on how phytoestrogens affect male reproduction for instance. These types of forceful mashing of facts and opinions are not exclusive to any political party, gender, race or religion. What's more, truths and even cherished beliefs change while actual facts tend to remain the same. When we say, 'It is a fact that the author of this article has a Ph.D.,' we are saying, 'The proposition, 'The author of this article has a Ph.D.,' is true.' It makes all the difference in the world. Certainly it's a fact that there are some things almost everybody likes, and other things you'd have a hard time forcing anybody to eat. Opinions can carry a … It is not intended to be a substitute for professional assistance or personal mental health treatment by a qualified clinician. Being right is very important to such people. Unlike an opinion, a belief is a conviction based on cultural or personal faith, morality, or values. The problem with modern science is the ambition to publish and make money out of it. A fact is a statement of truth that can be verified and is able to be proven as true. They cannot be disproved or even contested in a rational or logical manner. But it provides a reliable enough guide to keep most people alive and relatively healthy. one that does not define 'truth' using terms like 'belief' or 'popular belief'). Nobody thought he'd sail off the edge of the world- they figured he'd keep sailing and sailing until he ran out of supplies. Rather, it is a thinly veiled discussion and criticism of some current, sociopolitical events and sentiments that many people find most disturbing. Opinion does not have the power to influence others. Fact and Opinion Worksheets. Your email address will not be published. b. It’s important to avoid attacking or labeling those who disagree with us. They must be able to tell the difference between fact and opinion, as well as speculation and rumour Download this lesson plan Mon 7 Oct 2019 … It is not subjective, an opinion or a guess. The extent to which the opinions thus defended enjoy factual support, in some consensual or objective sense, is a secondary consideration; it suffices that the opinions are theirs. In education, children as young as kindergarten engage in conversation about fact an… • Categorized under Language | Difference Between Fact and Opinion Fact and Opinion are really different in the sense that Fact is something that is true and Opinion is only a belief. It is similar to the fiction versus nonfiction argument. Fact relies on observation or research while opinion is based on assumption. Facts are things that are based on the truth, while opinions are what a person believes, which may or may not be a fact. It is arrived at precisely because the "alternatives" have been disproven. An important part of reading comprehension is determining what a fact is and what an opinion is. I'm all for stimulating thought and discussion. Truth on one hand and opinion on the other. In the end, he's the final authority on the matter: it's his taste. While it's true that some people express their opinions more vehemently than others, holding an opinion at all implies a belief that the opinion is correct. In actuality, however, a fact is not a matter of opinion; it is an incontrovertible, verifiable reality that is grounded in objective evidence. Truth Vs. Opinion . In other words, a fact is true and correct no matter what. Perhaps, one wouldn't fall off the "roof" if one's home was a station in the depths of space. 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Now we know our planet is spherical, 4.5 billion years old, and orbits a rather typical star which is but one of many billions in a galaxy which is itself but one of many billions in an expanding universe of unimaginable size. Statements such as "Capital punishment is legalized murder" are often called "opinions" because they express viewpoints, but they are not based on facts or other evidence. The fact that the Sun rises in the east has become the truth in due course. On top, you have people that the only truth is faith tough by some profitable religion or even more antique religions that were funded on controlling. Facts are hard core and hence they cannot keep constantly changing; a fact remains a fact … A new theory aims to make sense of it all. Also, I see no reason to think that truths change. Facts can be verified with the help of evidence or statistics. Both are important, but it is important to know the difference between them. It’s an object, an article, a fragment of information, a bit of trivia. Very interesting & important question. The main subtle difference between facts and truths is that by definition facts are observable, ergo subject to one’s perceptions; and perceptions are not always reality. For example, that author states that the following are some facts: "Lincoln was born in 1809; that cereal contains 21 grams of sugar; the speed of light is 186,000 miles per second (in a vacuum)". They cannot test and verify as facts can. facts), and that this is a distinction that is often ironed over nowadays, by (say) proponents of "alternative facts", I'd say we probably mostly agree about the larger issue here. The fact is an objective reality whereas opinion is a subjective statement. But the key is understanding the difference between Truth and Facts versus Opinions and Bias (for lack of better terms) and how likewise how they can be used in tandem to speak honestly. It seems a real stretch of the word "true" to hold that the utterance "The Earth is flat" was at one time true. To wit, a tree that falls in the forest still makes a sound, even if no one is around to hear it. It happens all around us in our everyday lives. In other words, a truth is what people honestly believe so they are telling the "truth" to the best of their knowledge despite being factually incorrect. These are inherited flaws of democracy where everyone is entitled to opinions, just like farts. Is the sun a star? It seems natural to say that the prevailing view can be, and oftentimes is, false. An opinion, however, is a statement that holds an element of belief; it tells how someone feels. (Not that I’m suggesting that you do that, of course!). The word fact is sometimes used synonymously with truth. Facts are part of truths. Psychology a none exact science that relies on statistics, and the sample size and methodology have a big questions even biased by intention to conclude. A fact is a statement that is true and can be verified objectively, or proven. To distinguish the meanings of these words generally & especially in the context of psychology & philosophy. As nouns the difference between truth and opinion is that truth is the state or quality of being true to someone or something while opinion is a belief that a person has formed about a topic or issue. “I just saw the best movie ever,” he announced to some associates. Even when they are dead wrong, they don't let actual facts get in the way of their opinions. Saying how we feel is not the same thing as telling the truth. So I urge anyone who’s reading this to know the difference between fact and opinion. Opinions are far easier to defend when truths are sandwiched into the argument. So, at the risk of trying your patience: what I'm suggesting is that the vehemently opinionated, and the tentative, philosophically-minded seeker-after-truth who constantly revises his opinions, occupy different positions on the same 'belief' continuum, and that conceiving of these different positions in terms of a distinction between 'taste-based' and 'fact-based' opinion isn't the most useful way of understanding and describing them. Henry, in the example cited, is surely not wrong to insist there's some connection between his enjoyment of a film and the film's quality. I'm in no position to have an opinion; but presumably someone is. You are correct, facts should never change, but is people willingly to learn? it "Ceci n'est pas une pipe", French for "This is not a pipe". Truth verification appeals to facts; but what are facts? Maybe I just have a different concept of truth in mind. Chris said, “Do you mean you've just seen a movie that you enjoyed?” “No,” said Henry, “I know the difference between a good and a bad motion picture.” Gordon chimed in, “Most of the time,” he said, “it seems to be a matter of opinion.” “Wrong! In the final analysis, he and we are responsible for arriving at our own conclusions, about the quality of movies, articles, and everything else, aren't we? I think we basically agree with regard to the epistemological and hermeneutical foundation of interpretation and are at odds largely due to how words should be used (as you suggested). For example, I believe that Lincoln was born in 1809. P.S. Hi "Amerigo," I though Columbus set out for the New World around 1492. Is what a person who makes a sound, even if no one is around to it., perception & belief and people who try to make facts look opinions. Checked ' is bizarre people hold as true has no backing of evidence... 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