Poll: Can an opinion be wrong?

[savandicus]

Stupid guy 1 : 'It is my opinion that all black people will are tall and play basket ball really well.'
Sensible guy 2: 'I am a black person who doesnt play basket ball and is only 5 foot 4'
Stupid guy 1: 'Oh my, My opinion has been proven wrong, I am such a stupid guy'

Fill in the above with almost any opinion that is provably wrong and then yes opinions can very easily be wrong, some opinions are personal so they are correct for the person saying them. 'I like ubisoft' is a correct opinion if i do infact like ubisoft. If i dont like ubisoft and say that though then i am indeed wrong.

You may claim that i would be lying rather than be wrong but if i had no intent to decieve upon saying a statement then i am not lying but am wrong. Similar to if someone says 4 + 4 = 9 because they suck at maths, they are wrong and not lying.

In short: Opinions can be wrong.

 

[Sir Broccoli]

Nope, opinions can't be wrong. That's because opinions aren't statements like a lot of people seem to believe.
'All dogs love mustard' is a statement. 'It's my opinion that all dogs love mustard' is still a statement except I stuck the words 'It's my opinion that...' in front of them. I know it says this in the OP but a lot of people don't seem to get it so I'm just repeating it here.

 

[Cynical skeptic]

"Opinion" is simply a descriptive grouping for a series of statements. The word itself is meaningless. But most people use the word to mean belief. Belief always implies a certain level of disconnect from evidence or factual basis.

So, by common definition, opinion is always wrong.

 

[SuperCombustion]

Hitler thought he was being just..... case and point.

 

[Deleted]

Opinions can be more refined or experienced than others. So that means some opinions are better than others. For it to be wrong it would have to be an ignorant opinion.

 

[alrekr]

evolution like gravity is a fact, but some people have the opinion that it is wrong, thus their opinion is wrong as it is proven false by facts.

 

[sdMario]

I think morally an opinion can be wrong, such as Genocide..

And intellectually, if you say for example the Earth is flat, even if that is expressed as your opinion, it doesn't mean it is correct.

 

[EeveeElectro]

I think the subject of the opinion can be wrong, such as "All elderly people should be killed at 60" or something, but opinions themselves can be neither right nor wrong.

 

[dragonslayer32]

if its based on false information it can be wrong

Then it isn't an opinion

Yes, they can. Look at Hitler's opinion on the Jews.

You're definition of opinion is wrong. Or is that just my opinion?

You sir, have just blown my mind. Although, in my opinion, my definition of opinion is just fine.

 

[LordSphinx]

The value of an opinion is measured in the veracity of its arguments. If you can't defend your opinion, it isn't worth anything. If, in a debate, you can't deny the value of the other's arguments, then you must either admit that you are not as knowledgeable/grounded on the subject as he is, or simply adopt his way of thinking, as it is superior to your own.

It is possible, however, for two opinions to be of equal value, if they both have strenghts and weaknesses, and then it is a matter of choice and personal values over logic.

Calling something an opinion doesn't protect it from being judged by others. And having an opinion doesn't protect you from being judged based on it, as our opinions is part of what define each of us.

 

[Mr Mc Twiggy]

In my view (how ironic) opinions are wrong if they are based on untrue or misinformed evidence.

 

[rokkolpo]

many MANY people seem to forget that lying and opinions are two entirely different things.

an opinion can't be wrong, neither can it be right.

 

[AssassinJoe]

In my opinion, yes.

(Someone probably already made that joke but I don't care.)

 

[Ascarus]

No, they can not. They can NOT be proven true or false, and they are completely made up.

I would argue it depends on how the opinion is presented. Many people present opinions as facts. Those representations can be wrong.

 

[C95J]

It depends, if the person's opinion is blatantly the truth, supported by facts, and he is only saying it to be ignorant, then yes, an opinion can be wrong. In all other cases, no, it can not.

 

[Micah Weil]

I could go with the whole "misinformed/uninformed" argument, or with the whole "racism" thing...but ultimately, they're moot arguments.

Every single opinion out there is wrong, simply because there is always going to be someone there to tell you that your opinion is wrong. If we run under the assumption that no opinions are wrong, then the opinion that your opinion (x) is wrong is correct, making your opinion wrong.

...
...Catch-22 anyone?

 

[Individuo]

It depends on what the opinion is based on. If the opinion is based on hard fact than most certainly is true. If it's based on falsities then the opinion may well be wrong.