Poll: Can an opinion be wrong?

[Eclectic Dreck]

Yes an opinion can be wrong. For example, one could assert that they do not believe the sun will rise in the morning. Inductively we should know that it will. When it later rises, the opinion presented will be demonstrably false.

In other words, an opinion can be wrong any time it presents a point that can be verified as being true or false. One might argue that such a thing is obviously not an opinion and they'd be correct. But that won't stop someone from calling it that.

 

[poiuppx]

An opinion on something subjective- i.e., I think kobe beef is the finest meat in the land -cannot be wrong. It is a personal opinion whose basis of fact and statement stems purely from one's own ideas and experiences. Nothing, save the outright negation of a person's beliefs and ideas, could make such an opinion wrong, even if its an opinion held for only as long as it takes to SAY the opinion. I like the color black, I prefer playing GURPS to playing D&D, and to me, the best soda in the world is Mountain Dew Code Red. Because these are purely subjective statements, unless you can invalidate my very mind and existence, you cannot claim them to be wrong, anymore than I could claim you are incorrect in the things you like.

An opinion on something quantifiable- i.e., I think the moon is made of cheese -is NOT AN OPINION. It's a statement on an actual fact. You don't have 'an opinion' that your jacket can stop a meteor or that your cat is fifty feet tall and breathes fire when no one is looking, you have an incorrect understanding of factual data that can be accurately measured. And whenever someone says something amazingly stupid along the lines of willful ignorance about a religion, race, political party, philosophy, nationality, or what have you, they tend to use this 'definition' of an opinion. It's not your opinion, it's your excuse for being an idiot. Educate yourself, get some first hand experience to where you actually understand the shades of grey in the world, and then- THEN! -you can have an opinion based on personal likes and dislikes, ideas, and experiences. And at that point, I might disagree vehemently, but it'd still be YOUR OPINION. And by that, for you, it couldn't be wrong.

That said, the statement, "Supernova was the worst sci-fi film of all time" is not opinion. It is quantifiable fact.

[runs away after invalidating his own wall of text]

 

[General_Potatoes]

Yes and no?

 

[Phoenixlight]

What kind of question is this anyway? Yes of course they can be proven wrong but they can also be proven right. For example it is my opinion that smoking tobacco and drinking alcohol is bad for your health, all I'd need to do is a bit of searching on the internet to prove that my opinion is indeed true and accurate.

 

[2012 Wont Happen]

No. If something is proven wrong, it is not an opinion, but a believed falsehood.

 

[Thaius]

I will say first of all that I do believe there is absolute truth. That does not mean opinions can be wrong, but rather it means that ideas concerning facts are not opinions, they are statements that are either true or false.

As for subjective matters of opinion, however, there is not necessarily a "wrong" opinion. There are, however, uninformed and malformed opinions. That is to say, some opinions are worth respecting, and some are not. For instance, if a 13-year old who's only ever played Call of Duty said that he played Okami and hated it after 10 minutes, would you consider that opinion to be valid? It is an opinion on a work of art, the quality of which is subjective by nature, but this person has absolutely no basis on which to judge the game. They only played for 10 minutes and have never played anything outside of a rather simplistic, if well-designed, shooter. That opinion is not "wrong," because it is an opinion. However, that is not to say it is deserving of respect.

 

[RUINER ACTUAL]

Yes, just Google "Jack Thompson."

 

[joshuaayt]

It's likely been quoted already, but:

"All opinions are not equal. Some are a very great deal more robust, sophisticated and well supported in logic and argument than others."
? Douglas Adams

Wise man.
Going strictly by the definition of Opinion, no. An opinion is a subjective statement or thought about an issue or topic, and is the result of emotion or interpretation of facts.
So, in that way, an opinion cannot be a wrong opinion, because there is no right and wrong.

Now, can I dispute with and withhold respect from someone because of an opinion? Yes I can.

You think Homosexual people are inherently inferior? Well, you are wrong, and evil to boot. You hate people of a different race? Fuck off, you have no more of a right to live than they do.

EDIT: People are mixing up "Opinion" and "Fact". You cannot be of the "Opinion" that cigarettes are bad for you, that is undeniably true. You can, however, have the opinion that the damage caused by cigarettes is not severe enough to necessitate cessation of use.

I fear that the weight held by opinions in a debate nowadays is due to the corruption of the perception of what an opinion actually is.

 

[Blind Sight]

Depends, if the opinion is of something subjective, then no, it can't really be wrong. However, if the opinion is about a solid fact that is backed by evidence, then yes, it can be very wrong. Saying something like 'the holocaust never happened' is not an opinion, it's just ignorance of reality.

 

[Wintermoot]

if its based on false information it can be wrong

 

[Athinira]

57% of people voting don't really have a clue?

Opinions can't be wrong. Forcing your opinion on someone else, however, can be wrong.

 

[dragonslayer32]

Yes, they can. Look at Hitler's opinion on the Jews.

 

[Ulquiorra4sama]

It depends...

An opinion in itself can not be wrong, but an opinion based around facts will automatically be wrong if the facts it's based on are false.

And let me add... ah'duh.

 

[zombiesinc]

I was gonna say yes, and try to support my reasoning, but after reading several posts I'm a little more than confused, or at the very least, unsure.

But now that I'm thinking about the difference between a fact and an opinion, I'm leaning more towards no.

Eh... -_-

 

[Jernau]

Example: "It is my opinion that the sun is blue and we all live in 2D!". This statement is completely wrong, but also an opinion. I do not see how it is possible to argue that an opinion is NEVER wrong.

 

[Keepitclean]

if its based on false information it can be wrong

Then it isn't an opinion

Yes, they can. Look at Hitler's opinion on the Jews.

You're definition of opinion is wrong. Or is that just my opinion?

 

[randomrob]

Of course an opinion can be false. And considering the level of intelligence held by 90% of the public, they are likely to be false.

 

[00slash00]

i think bill o'reily would say yes and then yell at you and call you a pinhead. but if you ask a rational person? no, an opinion is not a fact, thus it cant be incorrect

 

[ethaninja]

It's a crazy crazy world we live in. In "my" opinion, I don't believe they can be wrong.

 

[PurplePlatypus]

Well, reading the definition of opinion it isn?t stated that opinions can?t be falsifiable. It is a belief, a conviction, a judgment etc, that isn?t supported by proof and so can?t be described as a fact. That isn?t to say they can?t be supported by experience or evidence that may make them more or less likely than someone else?s opinion.

So yes, they can be wrong and some people opinions might be better supported than others. It's just that opinions don't come with the ame kind of certaty a fact does.