I've been asking around and I've gotten some interesting responses. My question to you all is, "Can opinions be wrong. Why or why not? Please avoid circular reasoning."
Opinions
12 posts · 2008-05-21 20:08:48 to 2008-05-22 04:50:51
Well as the saying goes. "Opinions are like butt holes, Everyone gots one."
<./img>Personally, I know that I have some opinions that are wrong. It's simply because opinions are fueled by personal values, which depend on a lot of factors, whether cultural, social, emotional or just what I lived in my life. I consider myself to not hold the universal truth. What I consider right personally, is in fact wrong to many people. When you put it in relations, every opinion can be wrong, because there's someone, somewhere, for who your opinion might be totally against his values, his experiences. Since opinions are not facts, but are seen as the truth for each individual, who are we to claim that our opinion's more worthy than that of others.
For my own self, I might think that all my opinions are right, but I have to respect that it might be wrong for another person. And since opinions are relative, I would say that the righteousness of opinions should also be relative.
For my own self, I might think that all my opinions are right, but I have to respect that it might be wrong for another person. And since opinions are relative, I would say that the righteousness of opinions should also be relative.
Well, if you ask if all opinions are wrong and I tell you "no," then it would create a logical paradox. So at least some opinions are right.
However, you can ask some people if the Holocaust happened and they will also respond "no," but scientific and historical proof tells us that it, indeed, did happen. And so they would be wrong. So at least some opinions are wrong.
In matters concerning personal preference, opinions can be wrong, too. For example, if someone says "this cheese sucks," but there is someone out there who enjoys the cheese, that cheese obviously doesn't suck. Rather, the first person simply does not enjoy it. As such, stereotyping and generalizations are usually wrong (generalization in this sentence here, too, meaning that it can be disproven in at least one case).
In other words, the only universally true opinions are facts. Math, Science, History. And usually in general statement form. Examples: The Allies won World War II. Ronald Reagan was president of the United States of America. E=Mc^2, F=ma, An integral is a function which accumulates the area below a graph. Other things such as anthropology (while uncovering fact in the process), string theory, and big bang theory make conjecture about certain processes which may or may not exist, and while they may be true, there is not yet proof enough for these conjectures to make them fact.
So I would argue that all opinions outside of fact and generalization are neither right nor wrong. They simply are.
It's my opinion that there are ALOT of college students playing this game. Is that opinion right or wrong? Probably both. So I believe that opinions are both right and wrong. It's when people feel they have the right to tell others their opinions when they weren't asked for in the first place that causes problems.....in my opinion 
I agree with Shinryu, to me - an opinion is neither right or wrong, because it's your personal thoughts on a matter and how you view something, thus your opinions on a matter, may differ from someone else - but neither of you is wrong.
I concur with Travi and Shinryu... there is no right or wrong in opinions... but thats just my opinion on the matter.
I'm not so sure if opinions themselves can be wrong as they aren't exactly a definitive answer to anything, but the ideas/"facts" that back these opinions can be wrong, making the opinion...not necessarily what it would be if the holder knew the actual facts.
But then again, that's just my opinion...
But then again, that's just my opinion...
-Collbard- wrote:
Opinions based on something factual, like having the opinion the number 27 follows the number 20, would be wrong. But opinions based on something without a definitive answer, like having the opinion the best day of the week is Friday... can't be classed as right or wrong.
Unfortunately most people try to integrate fact into a non factual debate, such as the best day of the week, and thus forgetting that an opinion in such cases... is subjective to the thoughts of the person that as that opinion.
I've been asking around and I've gotten some interesting responses. My question to you all is, "Can opinions be wrong. Why or why not? Please avoid circular reasoning."
Opinions based on something factual, like having the opinion the number 27 follows the number 20, would be wrong. But opinions based on something without a definitive answer, like having the opinion the best day of the week is Friday... can't be classed as right or wrong.
Unfortunately most people try to integrate fact into a non factual debate, such as the best day of the week, and thus forgetting that an opinion in such cases... is subjective to the thoughts of the person that as that opinion.
Wait a minute, are you asking for opinions on opinions?! That's too far out, man.
But no, they can't. An opinion is just a constructed feeling about a specific event or item et cetera as viewed through that person's perception, which nobody else can have. Now, you can change a person's opinion, but you can't prove it is wrong. In fact, going out of your way to prove it wrong just leads to trouble in most cases. Makes ya look like an a**hole.
Edit: Even opinions based on obviously false information can still be "true" opinions, because they are a part of that person's beliefs. ... Uh oh, I think I'm wondering into religion. *scampers away*
But no, they can't. An opinion is just a constructed feeling about a specific event or item et cetera as viewed through that person's perception, which nobody else can have. Now, you can change a person's opinion, but you can't prove it is wrong. In fact, going out of your way to prove it wrong just leads to trouble in most cases. Makes ya look like an a**hole.
Edit: Even opinions based on obviously false information can still be "true" opinions, because they are a part of that person's beliefs. ... Uh oh, I think I'm wondering into religion. *scampers away*
Harpalos-mxo wrote:
Personally, I know that I have some opinions that are wrong. It's simply because opinions are fueled by personal values, which depend on a lot of factors, whether cultural, social, emotional or just what I lived in my life. I consider myself to not hold the universal truth. What I consider right personally, is in fact wrong to many people. When you put it in relations, every opinion can be wrong, because there's someone, somewhere, for who your opinion might be totally against his values, his experiences. Since opinions are not facts, but are seen as the truth for each individual, who are we to claim that our opinion's more worthy than that of others.
For my own self, I might think that all my opinions are right, but I have to respect that it might be wrong for another person. And since opinions are relative, I would say that the righteousness of opinions should also be relative.
What Harpalos said. Its important to always realize that your own thoughts are just that, your thoughts and not any absolute truth. They are simply the first steping stone to find such and untill you can say you have found the truth which that stepping stone lead to, it holds no weight what so ever.
