Poll: Can opinions be wrong?

[Kurokami]

This is something I often think about - especially when I'm on these forums - as it often results in debates becoming arguments. And I'm guessing that most people's gut reaction to the question will be, "no, of course they can't."

"Well that's just my opinion," seems to have become a get-out-of-jail-free-card for anyone from racists to the mythical beings that say they don't like Mafia (it's OK my friends, they're not real). In some cases that's a perfectly valid response when talking about an opinion on something subjective (a film/game/book, etc.) but in other instances that doesn't work.

If I said I hate Australia because they invaded China, then my opinion is wrong; that never happened (at least, I don't think it did...) and so my opinion is based on a false fact which in turn makes my opinion wrong.

So to me, an opinion can easily be wrong - of course, that's just my opinion.

Does anyone agree or disagree?

Its a tricky topic, I agree, but then again how would you define real? How do you record facts when you're only able to perceive so much? Did the US land on the moon? I sure as hell wasn't there, so I can't say for certain but I'm convinced that they did. If your honest to god opinion was that Aussies invaded China, that would be an opinion. The argument however would be weak as you don't have any real evidence to offer. Opinions can't really be wrong, they can be a basis to which you call someone a moron though, their job is to prove their opinions via argument.

 

[AvsJoe]

My opinion is that Aqua is the greatest band of all time, bar none.

*Cough*The Beatles?*Cough*

We're both wrong. It's obviously Jay-Z.

 

[irishstormtrooper]

Opinions themselves cannot be wrong.

They can however be based on incorrect arguments, misunderstandings, false assumptions, prejudice, hearsay, etc.

Also, many people use opinions in a wrong way, either by disguising misconceptions as opinions or stating opinions as facts. Which, coincidentally, is what a lot of people are doing in this thread.

Yes, but if they are based on incorrect arguments, doesn't that make the opinion wrong as well?

 

[ottenni]

If i where to say that in my opinion, opinions can be wrong. Would that itself be right or wrong?

By that i mean that if the statement is proven true, then would that then make it false. And visa versa.

 

[Aerodyamic]

"Opinions are like assholes; everyone has one, they all stink, and I really don't care to know anything about anyone elses'." - my paraphrase of an older, better known idiom concerning opinions.

Well, maybe I'm not quite that much of a jerk about it, but an opinion is an individuals' conclusion about a given situation or set of information, so if the individual is mis- or under-informed, or just doesn't give a shit about being logical, then yes, an opinion can definitely be wrong, or just plain ignorant.

 

[iLikeHippos]

You can only form an opinion after looking through all of the facts. That's what I'm learned.
And your opinion can NEVER be wrong if you really have been looking through all the facts.

However, if you've just talked out without really knowing everything, that can be crucial for your opinion being right or even close to being right.

Such as the story of Harriet Tubman. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harriet_Tubman] You can't feel like she was stealing away the expensive, lazy and evil slaves from the poor, needing farmers who paid most of their funds for them. Well, at least until you've read through the whole story. Than you can continue being racist :S

 

[JEBWrench]

something i often say is "Everyone is entitled to their opinion, even if they are wrong". Freedom of speach FTW.

Which doesn't change the fact that they're wrong.

Opinions themselves cannot be wrong.

Sure they can. If someone holds a view that there is evidence that aliens exist, their opinion is wrong. If someone decides that an object in the distance must be X miles away, and it's not, that opinion is wrong.

 

[JEBWrench]

*snipperoo*. It's obviously Jay-Z.

Of ALL TIME.

 

[Woodsey]

This is something I often think about - especially when I'm on these forums - as it often results in debates becoming arguments. And I'm guessing that most people's gut reaction to the question will be, "no, of course they can't."

"Well that's just my opinion," seems to have become a get-out-of-jail-free-card for anyone from racists to the mythical beings that say they don't like Mafia (it's OK my friends, they're not real). In some cases that's a perfectly valid response when talking about an opinion on something subjective (a film/game/book, etc.) but in other instances that doesn't work.

If I said I hate Australia because they invaded China, then my opinion is wrong; that never happened (at least, I don't think it did...) and so my opinion is based on a false fact which in turn makes my opinion wrong.

So to me, an opinion can easily be wrong - of course, that's just my opinion.

Does anyone agree or disagree?

Its a tricky topic, I agree, but then again how would you define real? How do you record facts when you're only able to perceive so much? Did the US land on the moon? I sure as hell wasn't there, so I can't say for certain but I'm convinced that they did. If your honest to god opinion was that Aussies invaded China, that would be an opinion. The argument however would be weak as you don't have any real evidence to offer. Opinions can't really be wrong, they can be a basis to which you call someone a moron though, their job is to prove their opinions via argument.

I disagree - I don't think you can call them invading an opinion. Whether it did happen or not, that's a fact. If I say they did when they didn't then I'm providing a wrong fact. If I base my opinion of the Australians off of that fact then - to me - that opinion is wrong.

I can see how people would argue that that opinion is still not wrong. I'm just assuming that we don't live in the Matrix so that rather major invasions can actually be counted as facts.

Anyway, it seems far more likely that China have started invading the Australian government - they've become very dictatorial lately.

 

[Sovvolf]

Well if stated like a fact or used when it's been factually proven to be untrue.

Like if someone stated "In my opinion, the moon is made of cheese". Then there opinion is wrong, because it's been proven that the moon isn't made of cheese.

 

[blackhole1]

Opinions are by definition never wrong, but the arguments they are based on can be. If you ever disagree with someone, the best way to solve your debate is to make sure the other has all the same info about the matter as you do.

 

[Hawgh]

Yes. If it's internally inconsistent.

 

[hawkeye52]

opinions cannot be wrong but they can be unjust if you understand what im saying

 

[garfoldsomeoneelse]

Opinions themselves cannot be wrong.

They can however be based on incorrect arguments, misunderstandings, false assumptions, prejudice, hearsay, etc.

Also, many people use opinions in a wrong way, either by disguising misconceptions as opinions or stating opinions as facts. Which, coincidentally, is what a lot of people are doing in this thread.

This topic is pushing my addled brain into the red, so I'm just going to go with what you said because it's closest to what I was storming up.

 

[Arkham]

Opinions are wrong if you present them as facts.

 

[NoblePhilistineFox]

it all depends on the situation givin,
as for an all around view though, most of the time oppinion is filled with bias so no.

 

[Limzz]

By definition, an opinion cannot be proven false. One could have an opinion that nobody else in the world shares but it still cannot be called "wrong".

 

[infinity_turtles]

Ergh. An opinion is a subjective belief. It cannot be wrong. If someone says "I think Australia sucks because they invaded China" the statement that Australia invaded China is wrong, but their opinion isn't. Likewise, if someone else said "Australia is great because they hand out genetically engineered sex-slaves", their statement that Australia hands out genetically engineered sex-slaves is wrong, but their opinion isn't. If after finding out that's wrong they no longer think Australia is great and starts to think it sucks, neither their former or current opinion is wrong. They merely exchanged it for a new one.

Seriously, an opinion is like a group membership. You either have it or you don't. There is no wrong. Also, just because one part of a statement is wrong, doesn't make all parts of it wrong, and just because someone calls something an opinion, doesn't mean it is. Calling a false statement an opinion doesn't make it one. If someone says "In my opinion bacon is made from turtles" their opinion is not wrong because there is no opinion. It's a statement, and that statement is wrong.

 

[Nimbus]

Opinions can't be wrong. People CAN be wrong about what an opinion is though.