you're right.
2006-10-09 13:14:24 · 14 answers · asked by patzky99 6 in Social Science ➔ Psychology
You're looking for an opinion, right?
I've listened to people discuss this topic for over thirty years, when I first got training in Community Services and counseling. I've heard a lot of things, including "opinions are like a*******s, everybody has got one, and most of them smell."
The best summary on the topic that I've found is in the book "Everyday Ethics: Inspired Solutions to Real-Life Dilemmas" by Joshua Halberstam (1). Here's the outline of some of the contents (2) regarding this subject, with page numbers reflecting where it is located in the book:
The Process: Cherish the Controversy (152)
* We call those who disagree with our own views pigheaded, naïve, and callous, and sometimes they are.
* Religious, political, and moral issues are complex, and we need to remember that decent and intelligent people can reach different conclusions based on decent and intelligent reasons.
In Your Humble Opinion (155)
* On a few issues we have convictions. On some we have opinions, and on most we have no strong inclination one way or the other.
* Opinionated people see no such limitations.
* They feel compelled to express their viewpoint on every subject that comes their way- ignorance is no impediment.
* We need an “ethics of belief” that places value on the way we arrive at our opinions.
* A healthy ethics of belief requires that our judgments be based on sound evidence.
* When we do take our opinion seriously, humility follows.
* The result of our national insistence that “everyone is entitled to his opinion” is a massive inflation of worthless opinions.
* Do not elevate your every whim into a conviction.
* Intellectual honesty demands that unless you are a bona fide expert in the field, a hint of tentativeness should accompany all your views and decisions.
* Here is a simple device to ensure that you have the proper humility when offering your opinion: When you speak, imagine that an expert is sitting right across from you. Now offer that opinion.
Dealing With Fanatics (157)
* Because a fanatic believes he already possesses the truth, he sees no reason to pursue the investigation. He cannot be convinced, he can only be converted.
* Immanuel Kant offered an exquisite description of the fanatic’s rigidity: A fanatic is someone who dreams according to principle.
That's just a sampling of how the book proceeds. Here's an actual excerpt from the discussion starting on pp. 155:
"A healthy ethics of belief requires that our judgments be based on sound evidence. Opinionated people have a weak ethics of belief. They make no distinction between a legitimate opinion and an arbitrary opinion; all that matters is that they have an opinion. The problem with opinionated people is that they don’t take their own views seriously enough! When we do take our opinions seriously, humility follows. We wouldn’t assume that we know as much about a subject as the person who devotes her life to it. Would you argue for your theory about the Aztecs, about whom you know little, with someone who just wrote a book about Aztec civilization? Of course not. Keep in mind, however, that opinions don’t gain in value just because an authority has left the room. You may insist that uptown real estate prices have recently fallen, but a realtor working that turf could set you straight about that market. You have an opinion about the best buy these days in Persian rugs, but unless you’re in the business, your estimate isn’t worth the lint on the rug you’re standing on."
So to summarize my opinion about opinions, I'd say that everyone is likely to have one if you put pressure on them; all opinions are correct to the person that has them or they would not have bothered to express them; and most opinions (mine included) have insufficient research and testing behind them.
If all opinions are "right" then the next time you're running a fever and can't breathe, go to an interior decorator and get his opinion.
2006-10-10 10:08:47 · answer #1 · answered by ebob 6 · 7⤊ 3⤋
Good question.
An opinion is, by definition, something subjective, and I don't think "right" or "wrong" categories apply to it.
But from a logical viewpoint, maybe we can consider an opinion tp be "valid" or "invalid". If an opinion is founded on lies, misunderstandings, incomplete information (and our opinions are never based on absolute knowledge) or is just unrelated to the premises through flawed reasoning, then it is not logically sound... I guess many people interpret the outcome (the opinion) without taking into account the abovementioned background for that opinion, and just label it "right" or "wrong". I find it difficult to do so.
But there's of course a much less complicated reason for saying "You're right": when we use the phrase just to express that we agree with the statement, not as an absolute qualification. Am I right?
2006-10-14 04:57:58 · answer #2 · answered by Calimecita 7 · 4⤊ 2⤋
If an opinion if based on facts and reason and is generally well informed there's a good chance it may also be right. When people pull out of thin air some opinion that conflicts with what is known to mankind but is not known to this individual there's a good chance that opinion could be wrong.
Other times, there is no right or wrong.
2006-10-09 18:18:09 · answer #3 · answered by WhiteLilac1 6 · 3⤊ 2⤋
Why yes, of course, if the person's opinion was wrong in the first place, for wherever they got their information from...
As an example, if asked who was our first president and someone said Abe Lincoln, it is their opinion, but they are wrong...
If you asked someone is 2 + 2 = 4 and they said no, they are answering with their opinion, but they are wrong...
So many other scenario's I could list but these were the first ones I thought of...
2006-10-14 16:16:44 · answer #4 · answered by aspenkdp2003 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
An opinion is just an opinion and can't be right or wrong. The facts might be right or wrong, but the opinion just is.
2006-10-09 13:37:49 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 3⤋
I guess an opinion could be "wrong" if the person is basing it on incorrect information.
2006-10-10 18:26:31 · answer #6 · answered by DawnDavenport 7 · 3⤊ 2⤋
An honest opinion can never be wrong.
People very rarely give honest opinion's
They're wrong.
2006-10-09 14:04:39 · answer #7 · answered by ? 6 · 3⤊ 3⤋
Not really, although some are more valuable than others or make more sense than others...an opinion is " a belief or judgment that rests on grounds insufficient to produce complete certainty".
2006-10-09 13:39:48 · answer #8 · answered by . 7 · 3⤊ 3⤋
An opinion can be "wrong" if you fail to give an adequate reason for your opinion.
2006-10-09 13:22:38 · answer #9 · answered by Jim T 4 · 3⤊ 3⤋
i dont think so, but it has to be an opinion. some people dont know the difference between a fact and an opinion.
2006-10-09 13:22:26 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 3⤋