Can opinions ever be classed as facts?
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Even though I entirely agree with you, I can't resist saying that I would define Corruption being bad as a subjective opinion really. Too much subjectivity when it comes to ethics like that.The_root_of_all_evil said:Now, saying "Corruption is Bad" as an opinion tends to follow your idea, so I'd suggest slapping them.
Not the point of your post but.. well I guess I like debating pointless tangents, sorry.
For those of you who think that opinions can be facts or that facts can be opinions, there is a simple test. Prove it. Opinions are internal, you are either stating what you think, believe, like, etc..., you are not making a statement about what is, was or can be; proof would have to be made on your internal process, not on the subject you are refering to.
If you say "I like ice cream", in order for the statment to be considered a fact you would have to prove that you LIKE ice cream, not that ice cream is tasty. Can you prove you like ice cream? Could you be lying? Could you be mistaking and be actually thinking of frozen yogurt? Other people will never know, they'll just take your word for it as an opinion. If you say "I think someone is right about something", the statement you make is that you THINK, not that the other person is right. If you say "I believe in God", the statement you make is that you BELIEVE, not that god is real. If you say "this art is beautifull", you are omiting the words "I think" and the statement is that you LIKE, not that that particular piece of art is beautifull. All you can do is say statements of opinion, you can swear you actually think, believe, hate, like, trust or whatever, but you cannot prove it because other people cannot experience the same thing exactly the same way through your brain.
The biggest problem with stating opinions these days is one of lazyness in communication. People don't say "I think" or "I believe" before making a statement of opinion; people just say "this is good" or "this is real". Another problem is people making assumptions on your statement when you use figures of speech. For example, if you say "this coffee tastes like shit!", there are two assumptions that could be made: There is actually something in your coffee that makes it taste like shit or you just don't like the taste. One is a fact the other is an opinion. This is a problem of communication, not of definition. That is why you have to be careful in how you communicate things and be specific.
There, now everyone knows why opinions really are not considered facts, why they cannot be proven to be true.
If you say "I like ice cream", in order for the statment to be considered a fact you would have to prove that you LIKE ice cream, not that ice cream is tasty. Can you prove you like ice cream? Could you be lying? Could you be mistaking and be actually thinking of frozen yogurt? Other people will never know, they'll just take your word for it as an opinion. If you say "I think someone is right about something", the statement you make is that you THINK, not that the other person is right. If you say "I believe in God", the statement you make is that you BELIEVE, not that god is real. If you say "this art is beautifull", you are omiting the words "I think" and the statement is that you LIKE, not that that particular piece of art is beautifull. All you can do is say statements of opinion, you can swear you actually think, believe, hate, like, trust or whatever, but you cannot prove it because other people cannot experience the same thing exactly the same way through your brain.
The biggest problem with stating opinions these days is one of lazyness in communication. People don't say "I think" or "I believe" before making a statement of opinion; people just say "this is good" or "this is real". Another problem is people making assumptions on your statement when you use figures of speech. For example, if you say "this coffee tastes like shit!", there are two assumptions that could be made: There is actually something in your coffee that makes it taste like shit or you just don't like the taste. One is a fact the other is an opinion. This is a problem of communication, not of definition. That is why you have to be careful in how you communicate things and be specific.
There, now everyone knows why opinions really are not considered facts, why they cannot be proven to be true.
Actually all facts are opinions, just widely believed opinions basically.
We base everything we know on our perceptions of the universe, which may be faulty. Our understanding of anything, all our theories etc could be wrong. It is VERY likely that most of what we consider facts is true though so, and more importantly the evidence we have come up with that supports our facts makes sense based on our shared perception of the universe. That makes most facts well.....very likely to be true, or at least true enough to be used towards a common purpose.
Opinions can be facts though since your opinion can be the same as the rest of humanity, which we then consider a fact. You might for instance look up into the sky and see the moon. You might form the opinion that the moon is the closest celestial body to the earth (without reading any books about it or being told by anyone else). That would both be your opinion and a fact (as we consider facts at least).
So yes, opinions can be facts and in a way all facts are actually opinions (just universally believed opinions).
We base everything we know on our perceptions of the universe, which may be faulty. Our understanding of anything, all our theories etc could be wrong. It is VERY likely that most of what we consider facts is true though so, and more importantly the evidence we have come up with that supports our facts makes sense based on our shared perception of the universe. That makes most facts well.....very likely to be true, or at least true enough to be used towards a common purpose.
Opinions can be facts though since your opinion can be the same as the rest of humanity, which we then consider a fact. You might for instance look up into the sky and see the moon. You might form the opinion that the moon is the closest celestial body to the earth (without reading any books about it or being told by anyone else). That would both be your opinion and a fact (as we consider facts at least).
So yes, opinions can be facts and in a way all facts are actually opinions (just universally believed opinions).
If an opinion could be classified as a fact it would just be called a fact. It stops being an opinion once it's either proven to be true or considered by the general population as true.
So no, because if it could be classified as a fact it would just be a fact.
So no, because if it could be classified as a fact it would just be a fact.
I was going to say something close to this.wulfy42 said:
Basically you need to look up what an axiom is. It's basically something which cannot be proved down further then it is, like a prime number cannot be divided by any whole numbers.
An example is that we assume that 2+2=4, we can observe this in practise, but we cannot prove it mathematically beyond the laws that we have created. Therefore all facts are based upon axioms, which technically means all facts are opinions of the human race.
There are a few select opinions which not only can be presented as fact, but must be presented as fact over opposing opinion. For example, research consistently shows that abstinence-only sex educations has little or even negative effect on preventing teenage sexual intercourse and the practice of safe sex, yet the opinion of those who support abstinence-only sex education is that it does exactly the opposite.
Meanwhile, it has been the opinion of comprehensive sex-ed advocates that it not only gets teens practicing safe sex, it also, in many cases, causes teens to practice abstinance, or at least hold off on sex until an older age, and the research has shown this to be true.
Thus, we must present the latter opinion as fact, and the former as simply an incorrect opinion.
Meanwhile, it has been the opinion of comprehensive sex-ed advocates that it not only gets teens practicing safe sex, it also, in many cases, causes teens to practice abstinance, or at least hold off on sex until an older age, and the research has shown this to be true.
Thus, we must present the latter opinion as fact, and the former as simply an incorrect opinion.
retterkl said:
First, a prime number can be divided by two whole numbers: 1 and the number itself.
Second, people do not experience the world in the form of axioms, we experience the world through our senses. It's the whole existentialism argument again, if you stretch logic to an indistinguishable mess, then yes you are right. But like I said, we experience our world through our senses and we communicate our experiences through language. The only way people can communicate is if they agree on standards, and that's what science is, cataloging information through the use of standards.
Austin Howe, "it has been the opinion of comprehensive sex-ed advocates that it not only gets teens practicing safe sex, it also, in many cases, causes teens to practice abstinance, or at least hold off on sex until an older age, and the research has shown this to be true." This statement is a fact, not an opinion. Your statement says that sex-ed advocates have opinions, and since they do, this statement is a fact. Your argument is wrong.
Please read what you write, all of you, sentences have meaning the way they are written. This is Freshman English stuff.
It can be a fact that your opinion is X, but the opinion itself is not fact. Saying that Mad Men is "better made" is entirely subjective, by the way. Who's to say when something artistic is better than some other artistic thing? Each has its own audience and appreciative fans.ChrisSmith24 said:
