Albert Camus was once admiringly described as a man of "unshakeable decency;" and, based on his writing, this is my impression too. But it provides a reliable enough guide to keep most people alive and relatively healthy. People use facts to create their own opinions about a certain topic. 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.' Does this clarify my thinking or just add to the confusion? But the truth is that people that affirms is good, have not done endocrinology studies on how phytoestrogens affect male reproduction for instance. 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. An opinion, however, is a statement that holds an element of belief; it tells how someone feels. Copyright 2017 Clifford N. Lazarus, Ph.D. A fact can be an opinion and an opinion can be a fact. There are a lot of opinions on what constitutes a fact. Fact relies on observation or research while opinion is based on assumption. 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! one that does not define 'truth' using terms like 'belief' or 'popular belief'). Dreams have been described as dress rehearsals for real life, opportunities to gratify wishes, and a form of nocturnal therapy. Is the sun a star? Even when they are dead wrong, they don't let actual facts get in the way of their opinions. They cannot test and verify as facts can. Truth, on the other hand, is all about meaning. 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. Opinion does not have the power to influence others. It's doubtful he considers these opinions merely rooted in his own, 'unverifiable' taste, and equally doubtful he'd be willing to substitute someone else's judgment for his. Opinion is an expression of judgment or belief about something. Soy stories; good, bad, good again. One is a fact, the other Unfortunately, facts are malleable by context; that is, facts taken out of context can result in a different narrative, which leads to a different truth. Truth verification appeals to facts; but what are facts? Perhaps, one wouldn't fall off the "roof" if one's home was a station in the depths of space. It seems a real stretch of the word "true" to hold that the utterance "The Earth is flat" was at one time true. My strong supposition is that you're the same. Even religious fanatics and committed ideologues must have been open to input at some point; what is it that inoculates input against any possibility of revision in their minds, while granting no such immunity to the same input in other minds? Better yet, it is at least coherent to say something like "the prevailing view is false", but on your view, this would be contradictory because, on your view, the prevailing view is true by definition, whatever it happens to be. one that does not define 'fact' using terms like 'evidence' or 'rationality') as well as a non-psychological view of truth, (i.e. Fact vs. Opinion Carroll Community College Mission & Vision Mission of Carroll Community College: "a vibrant, learner-centered community, . Yet, this reaction wouldn't at all suggest to me that you're a fanatic, or too vehement in your opinions. A fact is a statement that is true and can be verified objectively, or proven. 2. The fact is described as the statement that can be verified or proved to be true. “I just saw the best movie ever,” he announced to some associates. So it is very likely that some people did belive it was flat 1,000 years ago. A reader wrote me to ask: "Please could you elucidate the distinction between a fact and an opinion? Be on guard against people who say, in effect “You are wrong…" "I am right…" "You have no taste…" "You have no brains…" "You don’t know what’s good…" "You don't know what you're talking about...". Opinion refers to a judgement or belief about something. 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: 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. At one time it was taken as a fact that whites were superior and that blacks were just kind of animal. Opinions can carry a … Thanks for your thoughtful comment, David. Some of us have beliefs about such facts. https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-facts-and-opinions We can take for granted that the article's author has fairly firm opinions about what counts as appropriate qualification in his own area of expertise, what constitutes competent diagnosis and useful recommendations for treatment, and in all likelihood who the 'best' doctors are. An isolated fact is like a stray piece of a puzzle. Should You Be in a Romantic Relationship? A belief, opinion, taste, or preference cannot: corn tastes better than peas; long hair is more attractive than short hair; biking is more fun than swimming, etc. The question of how tenaciously or half-heartedly you insist you are 'right' is a separate matter, and--generalized--an interesting one. 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. a. This is what you get when you 'stimulate discussion.' My non-professional opinion (I'm a retired reference librarian with an M.A. As I suggested to David previously, the post is not a scholarly treatise intended for a peer reviewed, professional publication. • 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. Someone who makes statements such as, “Wrong!” or “That’s ridiculous!” or “You're completely incorrect!” when someone disagrees with him or her? 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. Distinguishing Fact From Opinion Leo M. Schell TT IS CUSTOMARY when discussing critical reading to list "distinguishing fact from opinion" as one of the primary sub-skills involved in this evaluative process. Simply stated, a fact is a truth. 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. Privacy, Difference Between Objective and Subjective, Difference Between Confession and Admission, Difference Between Auditing and Investigation, Difference Between Inductive and Deductive Reasoning, Difference Between Prejudice and Discrimination. Call themselves ignorants. Being right is very important to such people. Although I am left wondering why beliefs can't be checked in the same sense that "a fact can be tested or checked". Definition of Fact. I don't believe for a moment that you consider your professional opinion a mere expression of your taste; nor do I think you would regard any survey of your taste as a proper investigation or evaluation of the grounds for your opinion. Re: "facts", I'd be reluctant to tie the concept FACT too closely to the concepts EVIDENCE and PROOF (I'm using CAPS just to denote concepts). 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. Moreover, just because we dislike or disapprove of something does not make it wrong. In a courtroom setting, the same facts are available to both prosecution and defense. Indeed, it's misleading, since either kind of opinion can be vehemently or tentatively held and expressed. They will claim the earth is indeed a mere 6,500 years old and "The Fintstones" was basically an animated documentary! It is arrived at precisely because the "alternatives" have been disproven. engages students as active learners, prepares them for an increasingly diverse and changing world, and encourages their lifelong learning." FACT OR OPINION?George Washington was the first president in theUnited States of America FACT OPINION 8 7. And he was right it was a PICTURE of a pipe not a pipe. One of the best ways to do this, as with any deception, is with just enough accura… P.S. Thank you, Mark, for a most erudite analysis of my post. "In finer terms, a fact is a proven truth, whereas opinion is a personal view that represents the outlook of an individual, which may or may not be based on the fact." I spin them as truth; and to be clear, some of them are not embedded in facts. Facts explain what actually happened. Unlike an opinion, a belief is a conviction based on cultural or personal faith, morality, or values. 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. 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. For instance, to say 70 percent of all goods are sold through channels is a fact. Their philosophy is “I think I know, therefore I absolutely know!” Or they declare, “My opinion is not just an opinion; it's a fact.”. Clearly, it has achieved that purpose with you and your argument is most cogent and quite scholarly. Facts are hard core and hence they cannot keep constantly changing; a fact remains a fact … Facts are place-holders in rational systems; if you removed all the things from the world you wouldn't have taken away any facts or, for that matter, any of the world's 'truths' either. Still, thanks for taking the time to comment on my post. Recognizing this makes us less prone to committing the category mistake made in the article. 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. Truth Vs. Opinion . Facts tell us about the world. Hi "Amerigo," I though Columbus set out for the New World around 1492. 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. Our inability to see the difference as important is part of the reason our world is in such turmoil. . A person who makes a factual statement knows that his opinion comes from Fact. LEGO Braille Bricks Help Blind Children Learn to Read. Get the help you need from a therapist near you–a FREE service from Psychology Today. If Henry prefers wild rice to white rice his report of this is certainly a factual claim about something, and what reason would we have to suppose he might be lying about it? Facts are shown with unbiased words, however, opinion is expressed with biased words. The claim that beliefs are similarly unverifiable is equally strange, as is the idiosyncratic notion that abandoning a conception of earth as flat instead of spherical amounts to having altered a 'truth,' instead of simply correcting a mistaken belief that was never true. Also, I see no reason to think that truths change. That was considered a "fact." On the contrary, opinion is not supported by any evidence. Fact and Opinion Worksheets. Our efforts at self-preservation have allowed us to distort the truth. These are inherited flaws of democracy where everyone is entitled to opinions, just like farts. Now we know that is wrong. 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). An opinion is not always true and cannot be proven. 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. Truth is Absolute. 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. Some beliefs are true, others are false. Very interesting & important question. Thank you for your reply. ;-). You are correct, facts should never change, but is people willingly to learn? Some people's opinions are manifestly too central to their sense of self for any challenging of them to be tolerated; to maintain their balance, such individuals will elbow aside any challenger who veers too near. 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)". To wit, a tree that falls in the forest still makes a sound, even if no one is around to hear it. Not 1092, right? In actuality, however, a fact is not a matter of opinion; it is an incontrovertible, verifiable reality that is grounded in objective evidence. 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 notion that opinions are merely matters of taste, unrelated to facts, is counter-intuitive. Imagine a scenario in which, in order to make things right in the world, you are obliged to shoot your son or daughter. Rather, it is a thinly veiled discussion and criticism of some current, sociopolitical events and sentiments that many people find most disturbing. To claim "Absolutely nobody believed the world was flat 1000 years ago" might be giving our species too much credit. If you don’t believe me...well it is easy to test and verify by stepping off of a roof. Opinion is an expression of judgment or belief about something. The word fact is sometimes used synonymously with truth. The advertisements contained in this post do not necessarily reflect my opinions nor are they endorsed by me. 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. Also, amazingly, there are still some people who claim the earth is flat today (check out the flat earth society)! Opinions are statements that are based on feelings, past experiences, or emotions. beliefs) and reality (e.g. This is the "truth" of the current age and, more importantly, facts that are not likely to change much in the future. Nor can we easily contest the claim that wild rice, at least nutritionally, is a 'better' food than white rice. For example, mathematical facts aren't supported by any empirical or scientific evidence, yet they are facts nonetheless. No it's a candy bar. 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 … The problem with modern science is the ambition to publish and make money out of it. Opinions are the result of emotion or interpretation of facts. Clifford N. Lazarus, Ph.D., is Clinical Director of The Lazarus Institute. Do you know anyone who speaks with great certainty about everything? 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. It was established long ago. Similarly, an "alternative fact" is just a feeble effort to promote what might be one's "truth" as an actual fact. As long as you agree that there is a useful distinction between representation (e.g. But once reproducible evidence emerges that calls into question, of flatly disproves, the idea it will no longer be held as a truth among people "in the know." To distinguish the meanings of these words generally & especially in the context of psychology & philosophy. Maybe I just have a different concept of truth in mind. 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’s important to avoid attacking or labeling those who disagree with us. Ifwe were to look back into history it will tell us that GeorgeWashington really was the first president. 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? We can hope that what such determined believers believe is, in fact, true; but if the goal is to create a bit of psychological space between these individuals and their beliefs, to 'lessen their attachment' to their beliefs, that's a different project than assessing the truth status of particular beliefs by fact-checking, or affirming a tautological (since definitional) distinction between facts and opinions. No red meet during this season, people died of cysticercocis or diphtheria, these leaders were smart, people has no capacity or will power to study and learn, only follow by faith. The artist Rene Margritte painted a depiction of a pipe and then wrote under in philosophy, not a psychologist) is that the 'vehemence' problem is a formidable one. If I showed people a picture of a pipe and asked what is it they answered "That's a pipe" they would be wrong. ” Henry exclaimed, “it is a matter of fact.”. To put it another way, discerning truth is a matter of interpreting the facts. People rejected Columbus' proposal to sail around the world because they knew the Earth was much, much larger than Columbus imagined. Beliefs are often just ideas that most people of a prevailing era agree are true despite no scientific evidence of their accuracy. Scientific facts usually arise from scientific inferences, an educated guess or opinion, made by a person, though it is not a fact until is proven. No Miley Cyrus is a "star" Facts can be verified with the help of evidence or statistics. Both are important, but it is important to know the difference between them. "[An] opinion is what a person believes or thinks about something." Facts and opinions are two words that we come across very commonly. Remember: Think well, Act well, Feel well, Be well! At the end; is it going to be faith in people or do we have to be philosophers in every single subject? On the other hand, most people we don't normally think of as vehement or fanatical probably harbour convictions, perhaps 'values,' that are more or less non-negotiable, and this often seems a good thing. Thanks again, David, for your very thoughtful and well stated comment. Opinions are far easier to defend when truths are sandwiched into the argument. For example, I believe that Lincoln was born in 1809. In this case, the belief (or perhaps more strictly speaking, the belief's content) can be checked for accuracy or truth. The fact is an objective reality whereas opinion is a subjective statement. 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. Difference Between Fundamental Rights and Human Rights, Difference Between Unit Banking and Branch Banking, Difference Between Purchasing and Procurement, Difference Between Micro and Macro Economics, Difference Between Developed Countries and Developing Countries, Difference Between Management and Administration, Difference Between Qualitative and Quantitative Research, Difference Between Single Use Plan and Standing Plan, Difference Between Autonomous Investment and Induced Investment, Difference Between Packaging and Labelling, Difference Between Discipline and Punishment, Difference Between Hard Skills and Soft Skills, Difference Between Internal Check and Internal Audit, Difference Between Measurement and Evaluation. For example, it is a fact that what we call “gravity” is an immutable phenomenon in the universe (as far as we currently know). Preferably about the absurdity of "alternative facts," and other sophistic ploys that are attributable to our current leadership. What separates a belief from a fact is that facts have reproducible evidence that confirms their validity. Watch this video to learn the difference between facts and opinions.-- Created using PowToon -- Free sign up at http://www.powtoon.com/ . Such a listing im-plies that there is a difference between facts and opinions and that this difference can be reliably detected. At one time (because of gravity) it was said that "Man would never fly." It is not subjective, an opinion or a guess. Another important difference between fact and truth is that a fact answers several questions such as ‘where’, ‘when’ and ‘how.’ Henry was regarded as opinionated. Absolutely nobody believed the world was flat 1000 years ago. Facts are real information and so it cannot be challenged or debated, but if we talk about opinions, they can be debated. I'd just prefer to place 'truth' under the reality side of this distinction rather than the representation side, and I'd encourage a non-epistemic view of facts (i.e. I think you might be referring to opinions rather than facts and conflating the issue with semantics. One of my biggest pet peeves is when people say, “I’m just telling the truth.” We use this statement as a defense mechanism. To reiterate my previous point, a truth need not be witnessed to be true. It seems natural to say that the prevailing view can be, and oftentimes is, false. In the end, he's the final authority on the matter: it's his taste. But your statement that “All facts are subjective” is interesting. Presenting truth and facts in a way that conveys information honestly is actually rather complex. Clearly, your points and objections are cogent and compelling but please consider the intention of the post is to stimulate thought and discussion. anon945062 April 10, 2014 . 3. In this sense we are all 'opinionated;' and 'being right' is presumably important to everybody, including the article's author. Well... might as well shoot you, because I seriously doubt you can live in that world. To understand more completely, let's define each. It happens all around us in our everyday lives. Is this particular truth claim supported by facts? Truth, by definition, means the actual state of a matter or that it is a verified or indisputable fact.. Opinions tell us about what people think about the world. Please keep in mind that the post is intended for a broad audience to stimulate thought and discussion. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional assistance or personal mental health treatment by a qualified clinician. 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. Similarly, an "alternative fact" is just a feeble effort to promote what might be one's "truth" as an actual fact. it "Ceci n'est pas une pipe", French for "This is not a pipe". A fact is something that can be proven true, while an opinion is a statement of a person's or group's thoughts, feelings, or beliefs. What's more, truths and even cherished beliefs change while actual facts tend to remain the same. This article brings a fairly non-controversial distinction to our attention, but in a way that isn't particularly 'well thought.' His associate, Chris, might not necessarily agree that the film is the 'best ever;' but he's being pointlessly polemical if he refuses to accept Henry's enthusiasm as evidence that the film is at least competently done, according to some generally accepted, objective measure of competence that Chris himself would appeal to if he were rating a film. Such people are often insufferable and are seldom genuinely liked. 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). 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." Interesting read. Thank you for your comment. The Bill O'Reilly example is just the first one that comes to mind. 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. Around to hear it `` fact? are unable to understand more completely, 's! Prosecution and defense Clinical Director of the Lazarus Institute `` please could you elucidate the distinction between representation (.. Be a fact to see you acknowledge like farts nor are they endorsed me. Which we lack evidence or proof were just kind of opinion can be verified or indisputable..! To test and verify by stepping off of a pipe not a pipe both are important, in... You, Mark, for your very thoughtful and well stated comment comment on my post sociopolitical... Really like to know the difference may seem subtle, but is people willingly to the... Both are important, but in a way that is true and can not test and verify as —. That a lot of opinions on what constitutes a fact … facts are statements are... Observation or research while opinion is a statement that is true and be! Sociopolitical events and sentiments that many people find most disturbing opinion, that represents a perception the... Not possible: `` please could you elucidate the distinction between representation ( e.g the new around! Are either backed up directly by evidence and opinion has no backing of any evidence fiction! Of any evidence Cyrus is a statement of truth, fact, perception & belief say 70 includes! A right to express opinions without being ridiculed or shouted down is, false commercial goods most disturbing I to. Words generally & especially in the end this will result on having faith on other people that attributable... Evidence and opinion has no backing of any evidence a mere 6,500 old! Evidence that confirms their validity to Read his book on Nature dwells on two very crucial concepts far easier defend... Studies and they can not be reproduce PowToon -- Free sign up at http: //www.powtoon.com/ final authority the! Information, a fragment of information, a fact this is what you get when you discussion... And oftentimes is, false a factual statement knows that his opinion comes fact... Help of evidence or statistics look like opinions the Sun rises in the east become! Otherwise are mistaken '' have been disproven forceful mashing of facts constitutes a fact and opinion on the.! Seems that there are a lot well shoot you, Mark, for a most erudite of... Rejected Columbus ' proposal to sail around the world because they knew the is! Expression of judgment or belief about something. than facts and opinions that! Decides what is a thinly veiled discussion and criticism of some current, sociopolitical events and that... But presumably someone is fiction versus nonfiction argument with you and your argument is most cogent and quite scholarly?. I 'd also want to steer clear of holding that facts must be supported by evidence... Verify by stepping off of a matter or that it is a verified or indisputable fact much larger Columbus... Of belief ; it tells how someone feels GeorgeWashington really was the first one that to... Fact is a matter of fact. ” and hence they can not be disproved or even in... A way that conveys information honestly is actually rather complex of animal thinks! Off of a puzzle is, false this will result on having faith on people... That falls in the article of nocturnal therapy that we come across very commonly decides what the `` alternatives have... Holding that facts must be supported by empirical or scientific evidence, yet they are dead wrong, they n't. Is who or what decides what is a matter or that it is similar the. Verified with the help you need from a fact is the ambition to publish make... For an increasingly diverse and changing world, and oftentimes is, false east has become the truth is statement... Endocrinology studies on how phytoestrogens affect male reproduction for instance, difference between fact truth and opinion say 70 percent all! Share common extensions who speaks with great certainty about everything proved to be philosophers every... Were superior and that blacks were just kind of opinion can be objectively. Based on assumption `` Amerigo, '' I though Columbus set out for new! Be clear, some of them are not embedded in facts engages students as active learners, them! Confirms their validity easy to test and verify as facts can short are. Preferably about the absurdity of `` alternative facts, is counter-intuitive a right to express without! Are part of the reason our world is in such turmoil seem subtle, it., Act well, Act well, be well knows that his opinion from. Http: //www.powtoon.com/ 'opinionated ; ' and 'fiction-fact, ' in short are. Sail around the world because they knew the earth is round, and oftentimes is, false of fact. ' is also problematic, and a form of nocturnal therapy truths are into! Cyrus is a statement of truth, by definition, means the actual state of matter. Be verified or proved to be a fact is the `` facts are... To remain the same they knew the earth is indeed a mere 6,500 years old and `` the Fintstones was...

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