Fact/Opinion/Belief

“You are entitled to your opinion. But you are not entitled

to your own facts.”

― Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Daniel Patrick Moynihan is sometimes called a “scholar-politician”, having been a professor and author before he was an ambassador and a Senator. Even if you have never heard of Moynihan, you have probably heard the quote above. It is widely known, but it is ever more challenging to apply. In this era of AI slop and social media hyperbole and fabrications, facts are ever more difficult to pin down. We can no longer just believe our eyes; it may take a thousand words to clarify the fact or falsity of any image. Everything can be manipulated.

And then there is the further complication of belief. Where does it fit into this dichotomy? It is not quite synonymous with faith, nor is it the same as fact, but so often it is defended as being much more than opinion.

Starting in the early grades, students are guided to understand the difference between fact and opinion.

The cafeteria serves pizza on Friday. Fact if confirmed by the published menu.

 Pizza is the most popular lunch menu. Fact if confirmed by numerical data on servings served compared to other offerings.

 Pizza is the best lunch. Opinion.

 Mary is wearing a red sweatshirt today. Take a look. Fact? [Let’s not get into the blue/gold dress issue.] Mary really likes red things. This is getting complicated. Does she have a lot of red outfits? Did she select this one, or did no one do the laundry leaving her no choice? Does she like the color of this sweatshirt or the school it represents? Or the person who gave it to her? We’d better ask Mary. Until then, it is just our opinion.

Some categorizations are easy, but many are not. Opinions often involve judgments, or a comparison of individual styles or personal preferences, like about the flavor of a food. Some opinions can be very personal, others may be widely agreed upon, like pizza among grade-schoolers. Beliefs tend to involve acceptance of something, often without supporting facts, but with strong supporting emotions/feelings. Facts generally involve things that can be seen, or examined or can be measured (time, size, number of people, amount of product etc.) How one then interprets that data is the next challenge. The lines between these concepts in practice is often blurred, and our response to the statements and choices of others merits careful consideration. And, of course, that careful consideration should also be applied to ourselves. Which one are we expressing and acting upon? And has it changed over time? What societal forces may be influencing me or those around me?

So where is this going? For others, for ourselves, for issues on the world stage and those close to home, opinion/belief/fact all come into play, and all must be respected before they can be influenced. Their interplay can be complex and emotional. We all hold all three.