Is your opinion about something more important than the facts?

Question

I think as people we are more opinion driven than fact driven. This can be applied to everything from religion, science, politics, art and personal taste. Many things like racism and humanitarianism driven by opinions rather than facts.

Answer 1

Could we also add experience of both feeling and fact?

Answer 2

Facts are very important, since they try give an indication of the validity of an opinion.

However, the distinction between opinion and fact is not straightforward. If a fact is thought of as an objective universal truth or law that is 100% accurate, surely there are not many, if any of these? For example scientific 'facts' are concistently challenged, held false or improved upon. Newton's gravitiational laws might have been considered facts until it was decided that Einstein's laws were more accurate.

Thus if facts are not absolutes then they are merely statements containing various degree of the truth, but not the absolute truth, and therefore would seem difficult to seperate from opinion.

Opinions devoid of any truth are dangerous and are propaganda that spread ignorance. On the other hand not accepting an opinion is also narrow-minded and surely prevents the progression of knowledge towards the absolute truth. After all, our genius or huge leaps forward are often made from an opinion (or theory) initially rubished by the conventional wisdom, only to be confirmed by later experiment and replace the conventional wisdom becoming 'fact'.

Both are important to any debate looking to enrich, but this is all my opinion.

Answer 3

No. Science for one, if good research is carried out,based on information from tests and experiments.

If scientists just stated something from opinion, then we wouldn't have science! A scientist can't just publish a piece of work that other scientists cannot test and get the same results or results that can't be challenged.

Personal taste can be applied to art but not to mathematics, science or physics.

In fact, your question is quite ignorant. You state religion, science, politics, art and personal taste. Then make a reference to racism and humanitarianism. You're attempting to ask a question about every academic discipline and then also include "personal taste" on top of it.

Racism stems from an individuals or groups hatred or dislike for someone because of their colour.

Humanitarianism is based on the need or desire to see the highest possible outcome for humans. Albert Einstein wrote quite a bit of humanitarian articles but he is most known for his papers on physics.

Your question could be interesting if you would focus your information on what you really want to say and not a general "thrown to the four winds" statement of putting rights to the world.

Answer 4

Facts are always more important than opinions. An opinion is totally invalid if it has no facts to support it - in the same way a scientific theory is invalid if it has no facts to support it.

You are right that most people are more opinion than fact driven. Opinion may, however, colour the facts but then at least that leads to proper debate.

Rather than bother to find out what the facts are, many people will jump to conclusions or regurgitate what they have heard elsewhere.

This opinionation is the root cause for racism, conspiracy theories, "dumbing down", and a myriad of other problems.

Answer 5

The trouble with facts, they are always changing. And the same applies to opinions. This often applies in herbal/natural medicines. When I was a child my grandfather wouldn't use 'conventional' medicines; he was a great believer in herbal medicines. This was his opinion, but facts proved otherwise. Then, many of his herbal treatments were proven to work, and that was a fact. Though further investigation proved otherwise. Fact or opinion, I sooner trust my opinion, or maybe instinct, yes, I have always relied on my instinct. Who knows, instinct may become fact, for a short time at least, until somebody proves otherwise. I must admit, I much prefer people with strong opinions, rather than those who only have facts to form an argument. And that's a fact, mine at least....

Poet

Answer 6

what "should" be considered is a combination of both .. as

"People have many different points of view, particularly concerning issues like Wilderness. Itis difficult at times to discern fact from opinion, objectivity from subjectivity, and accuracyfrom exaggeration. Sometimes people are knowingly selective in what information theypresent about a topic. Other times they do not realize that they are presenting only a narrowview of the topic.Individuals in a community may hold differing beliefs or opinions, attitudes and valuestoward Wilderness and land ethics. There are many different reasons for the beliefs, valuesand attitudes people hold. Whatever the reasons or sources, the result may be stronglyheld differences of opinion related to the same issue in the same community.Sometimes the best solution to a local issue may seem obvious. More often, there are noclear “right” or “wrong” answers, yet emotions may be aroused and different “solutions” mayhave dramatically differing impacts on all involved, including Wilderness"

Answer 7

Are they more important than facts.... no.

Do we let them get in the way of the facts... sometimes.


I would never want to serve on a jury. I don't think I could convict anyone with the types of evidence I see on the TV crime solving shows. There is ALWAYS an assumption calling for a conclusion. I don't want my opinion to determine someone's life.





g-day!

Answer 8

i like to think that before i make an opinion on something, i make an informed decision with all the facts present, that way i can back up my opinion with facts and counterattack others by knowing opposing facts which back up their opinion.
You need to know all the facts before making a opinion otherwise how will you inform people of it?

Answer 9

Maybe form your opinion based on fact? Im not sure, in society I would say opinion is more important as most may not have access to the facts.

Answer 10

As human beings, we can't help but allow our emotions to cloud the facts. We aren't even aware we are doing it. Look at what is going on with Michael Vick. People are saying he didn't have a dog-fighting ring going on even though he pled guilty. So what does that say about what Americans feel about facts?

It's almost completely sub-conscious, but our opinion trumps our ability to accept fact at face value.

Answer 11

depends the facts should influence opinion not the other way round but opinions sometimes are formed when facts are not present and due to ignorance or an ethical opinion already held