Can an opinion be wrong?

Question

I was once told by a person that opinions could be wrong. I looked at that person and asked them why. How can an opinion be wrong? So long as you can support the opinion it cannot be wrong as far as I can see. Hypothetically, say that I think that cheese tastes odd. I think it tastes odd. Am I wrong about what I think? (I actually happen to love the taste of many different kinds of cheese.) So, can an opinion be wrong? Look not at the cheese example, but at the whole question. Can an opinion be wrong? Is there a 'right' opinion?

Answer 1

You can't prove an opinion correct or incorrect.
An opinion is based on emotional judgement.

A fact can be correct or incorrect.
A fact in definition can be proven with evidence that the statement is true or false.
You can't gather evidence for an opinion.

Answer 2

The confusion here lies in the two different uses of the word "opinion".
If I say "Cheese tastes good", I have expressed an opinion- an expression of my preference. I didn't explicitly say that my statement only applies to myself (I would not feel the need to argue the point with someone who insisted that cheese tastes bad), but it is understood that issues of preference are a matter of opinion.

The other kind of opinion is a statement that implies a factual judgment, such as "Murder is wrong," or "George Bush is corrupt". When someone makes a statement that both implicitly and explicitly applies to some fact outside of the person's self or preferences, they are not actually stating an opinion- they are asserting a fact. Whether or not they are reporting on the facts accurately is open to debate. When people disagree on what is objectively true, they often call each other's statements "opinions". This doesn't mean that they are expressing preferences, but that they can't agree on what is true, so they are assigning the word "opinion" to their views, as though one statement could be true for one person and it's opposite true for the other person, like in the cheese example. This is simply a misapplication of the word "opinion".

So yes, an opinion in the second sense can be wrong, because it's not really an opinion- it's an assertion about reality, and if it is not a true statement then it's a wrong "opinion".

Answer 3

Yes and no. It depends on the opinion. Allow me to illustrate:

One could say that all opinions are always true. This might be so if you take those statements as having an implied, 'I think...' in front of them. As with your cheesy example, whether or not you think anything has nothing whatsoever to do with what actually is real. I could say "I think that there's no such thing as gravity" and this may perhaps be true - not in the sense that there's no gravity, but in the sense that I do think that.

HOWEVER there's a huge hole in even that argument. While the real world doesn't have anything to do with an 'I think...' opinion, what you think DOES! So both our examples would be incorrect: You don't really think cheese tastes odd and I don't really think that there's no gravity. Those statements have no truth to them whatsoever.

Of course, when you have an opinion about a factual event, many people will take that as a statement of fact rather than an opinion. While it may be difficult to prove whether you really do find the taste of cheese odd, it's not difficult at all to prove that gravity (at least in some form) does exist. Thus if I said "There's no gravity" many people wouldn't infer an 'I think' in there and just say that I'm wrong.

So we can see two senses in which an opinion might be wrong: the sense that it's factual and the sense that it accurately reflects what you think. Of course, even if you do explicitly make it clear that you are stating an opinion and not a fact, there are many people who will try to CHANGE your opinion (almost no matter what it is)!

Answer 4

Opinions are based only on early facts. They can be wrong after all the facts come in and a re-evaluation is done on the orginal theory.

The mistake you are making is the "cheese" is not an opinion, it is a fact that it tastes odd to you, where as it may not taste odd to the person who disagrees with you.
Facts are not always universal as you see. What is a fact to me may not be to you. Whereas what is an opinion lets you leave open a change of thought later on.

Answer 5

When an opinion is contrary to fact, it is wrong. A preference, such as a choice of a favorite color, is not normally judged as right or wrong, but an opinion, such as "denim wears better than wool fabric" can be accurate or inaccurate, and should be backed with evidence.

A person who is very precise in their language usage might use a term such as, "it seems to me" to qualify their statement rather than express their opinion as fact. For example, to use your cheese reference, I do not care for blue cheese. If I say, "Blue cheese tastes horrible!" I have stated my opinion in such a way as to suggest that any contrary opinion is wrong. It would be more diplomatic, and more accurate, to say, "I am not fond of the taste of blue cheese."

If you say, "it tastes odd" there is a suggestion that the cheese is spoiled or adulterated, when you really mean that it has a flavor that does not appeal to you. A person could respond to you by saying you are wrong and that the cheese tastes just as it should.

It is a fine distinction, but one that might make a difference in what is understood by someone who hears what you say.

Answer 6

Awesome question!
I don't think that an opinion can be wrong it can only be changed in the face of substantial evidence against it. Yet even still, it can never be proved wrong.
For example, a student in my archaeology course went the whole year acing tests etc. but at the end of the year in the course evaluation form he still replied "although there is there alot of evidence for it, I still don't believe in evolution". Although this opinion differs from ALL of the course content, it still cannot be proven invalid or deemed 'wrong', because it is in fact an opinion.

Answer 7

An opinion, by definition, presupposes that there is more than one answer to the question. Many people have many opinions (which are not the same thing as proof), and many of those opinions are wrong, or questionable, or debatable.
Of course opinions can be wrong.

Answer 8

I think you are getting facts mixed up with opinions. Facts are right as long as you can back them up. Opinions aren't right or wrong, they're just what someone thinks, not everyone agrees with an opinion. Like if I said the water is cold, that is an opinion because it might be warm to someone else. Hint:* Opinions use adjectives

Answer 9

Opinions and opinion-makers are frequently wrong. Take the example of whether or not it's a good idea to seek a second medical opinion. I believe strongly that it's a good thing to do. One doctor may have a medical opinion about your particular condition that is seriously outdated. He or she may not be up-to-date on the latest developments in their medical specialty. Does it happen? More often than you would think.

In the case of medicine, it's best to seek two or more medical opinions from respected doctors in their chosen field. Of course, this principle holds true, I believe, for just about everything. The more informed you are, the better decisions you make.

That, of course, is just my opinion. ;->

Answer 10

An opinion is an opinion.

Still, other people may find other opinions wrong because of their experience, bacground, etc.

Let`s bring up the race factor. Maybe a black girl thinks that all white men are ugly. Is her opinion wrong? Many would find this wrong, but it is still her opinion.

I believe some opinions may seem wrong because of their lack of education.