Truth and Opinion

Activity: Pass the Message

What is your reflection

about the activity?
Activity

Pass the
Message
 What is your
reflection about
the activity?
Quid est veritas?
Questions of
Truth and Opinion
 Correspondence Theory
 The oldest model of truth.
 It can be traced back to Aristotle and
Plato

According to this theory, true

propositions (statements) are
those that correspond with reality
Correspondence Theory

If someone claims “The earth is

the center of the solar system”, the
truth of the claim is tested by
checking.
 Fact and Opinion:
Is There Really a Difference

Every man has a right to be wrong in his opinions.

But no man has a right to be wrong in his facts.
-Baruch, Bernard M 1870-1965
American Financier
 FACT and OPINION.

Facts something that truly exist or happens:

something that has actual existence.
A true piece of information.

Opinions a belief, judgment, or way of thinking

about something
Let’s Get The Facts Straight!
There is a difference between
FACT and OPINION.
Facts are statements that can be proven.
Opinions can not be proven. They are based
on someone's thoughts, their feelings and their
understanding.
Though you may be able to use facts to add
credibility to an opinion, it is still an opinion!
Though an opinion may be widely accepted, that
does not make it a fact.
 Let’s Get The Facts Straight!
A fact is something that can be proven
by a reliable authority such as:

Proven
A Statistics
scientific law
history book
Governmental
Measurements
law

Mathematics An observation

Note : None of these authorities are fool proof, but information that they provide
is considered to be fact.
 Separating Fact from Opinion

 Know the traits of facts and opinions.

Fact: Spinach is a source of iron.

Opinion: Spinach tastes awful.
 Facts and Opinions

 Fact  Opinion
– Objective – Subjective
– States reality – Interprets reality
– Can be verified – Can NOT be
– Presented with verified
unbiased words – Presented with
value words
“Spinach is a form of
iron.” “Spinach tastes awful.”
Lets Look at Some Examples of
Facts
Facts Must Have a Reliable Authority
John F. Kennedy was History Book
President 1961-1963
The adult human body Science
has 206 bones
56% of US gun Deaths Statistic
are suicides
21 is the legal drinking Governmental
age in Cincinnati, OH Law
 More Examples of Facts
What About Observations?

Observations are facts because they can be proven by the senses.

Fact
Some flowers are
larger than others.
The shirt is green.
How it is Provable
You can bring in
flowers of various
sizes
You can bring in the
shirt so that the color
can be seen
 Getting the Facts on Facts
Some facts change over time. For example:

It was once considered to be a fact that the world was flat.

We believed that those traveling too far in either direction could

literally fall off!
Because new things are being discovered everyday, reliable authorities
are sometimes forced to alter what we all once considered to be facts.
 Lets Look at Some Examples of Opinions
Here are some of the same topics that we saw as facts.
Can you figure out how they were changed to opinions?

John F. Kennedy was an excellent President.

Apparently the adult human body has more bones

than necessary
it is likely that the US suicide rate will decrease soon.

It is unfair for the legal drinking age to be 21.

 Lets Look at Some Examples of
Opinions

excellent
Apparently,
necessary.
It is likely All of these words
are hints that
there is an opinion
It is unfair present.
Types of Opinions

There are Several Types of Opinions:

 Hypothesis Statements
 Theory Statements
 Assumptive Statements
 Value Statements
 Exaggerated Statements

Lets Take a Quick Look at all of them.

 Types of Opinions:
Statements of Hypothesis
A Hypothesis is an assumption made in an attempt
to explain an observation. Though an Observation
is a Fact, a Hypothesis is an Opinion.
For Example, if I were to elaborate on a previous observation and
say:
Some flowers are larger than others
because they are in more fertile soil.

This hypothesis would have to be further investigated

and scientifically proven to be considered a fact.
Types of Opinions:
Statements of Theory
A theory is an opinion that is a widely believed
explanation for a group of observations. Here
are two well known examples:
– The Theory of Relativity.
– The Evolutionary Theory.

Though many scientists believe that these theories are true, we still
consider them to be opinions rather than facts because they have not
been proven.
Relativity
Getting the Facts About Opinions
An opinion is not necessarily wrong, it is merely not a provable fact.

For example:

“Bridgett is a very beautiful young lady.”

Even if everyone agreed with this statement, it is still an opinion

because it is not provable. Beauty is relative.
Evolution
Types of Opinions:
Statements of Assumption
An assumptive statement is an opinion that is an
improvable prediction. Here are three examples
If Hillary Clinton ran for President she would
definitely win.
The war in Iraq will eventually cost the US all of
its allies.
When that new movie comes out it will definitely
be at the top of the charts!
Though these are stated as though they are true, they are only assumptive opinions.
 Types of Opinions:
Statements of Value
A value statement is any claim that is based on
someone's beliefs. Here are three examples
Colin Powell is an excellent candidate for president.
The use of animals in lab testing is cruel and must
be stopped.
The Bahamas is the most beautiful place on Earth.

Value Statements are often opinions attempting to sway the reader to a certain belief.
 Types of Opinions:
Statements of Exaggeration
An exaggerated statement is one that embellishes the facts,
often to sway the reader. Here are two examples

There were millions of people rioting on the

streets of down town Cincinnati.
The president has not made one good decision
since he has been in office!

Writers often use exaggeration to make their point more clear. They are still opinions.
 Note Biased Words to Identify
Opinions
 Look for biased words. They express opinions,
value judgments and interpretations and are
often loaded with emotion.

Note: A sentence can include both facts and

opinions.
 Opinions: Words To Look Out For
There are Certain Words that will Warn You that You are
Being Given an Opinion and
Not a Fact!

Maybe Successful

Perhaps Necessary

Best / Worst Apparently

Experts Agree Probably

Opinions: Words to look out for

- Maybe - Perhaps
- Successful - Necessary
- Best/Worst - Apparently
- Experts Agree - Probably
 Biased Words
 awful  favorite
 amazing  frightful
 better  fun
 best  horrible
 bad  miserable
 beautiful  never
 believe  probably
 disgusting  think
 exciting  smart
 Example:

 “In point of fact, computers make life

miserable.”
 Explanation: “Miserable” makes this a
general opinion.
 Example:

 “The great grasslands of the West should not

have been plowed under for crops.”
 Explanation: The grasslands were plowed
under, but whether or not they “should not
have been” is a matter of opinion.
Getting the Facts about Opinions
- An opinion is not necessarily wrong, it
is merely not a provable fact.

“Jessie Mendiola is a very beautiful lady.”

Even if everyone agreed with this

statement, it is still an opinion because it
is not probable. Beauty is relative
 Note Qualifiers to Identify
Opinions

 Beware of false facts, or statements

presented as facts that are actually
untrue.
 A qualifier may express an absolute,
unwavering opinion using words like
always or never.
 Example

 “Exercise is the only sure way to lose

weight.”
 “Only” is a qualifier and makes this
statement an opinion.
 Think Carefully about Supposed
“Facts”

 Beware of opinions stated to sounds

like facts.

Note: Phrases like “in truth,” “the truth of

the matter,” or “in fact” are examples.
 Example:

 “In truth, the earliest humans lived at the

same time as dinosaurs.”
 Explanation: Fossil records and scientific
research have proved this to be a false fact.
Keeping Facts Straight
In a ONE WHOLE SHEET of Yellow Paper,
decide whether each statement is a
FACT or an OPINION.
 Keeping Your Facts Straight
How well did you do?
The car probably The Learning Center is
stopped running because in the Educational
it ran out of gas. Services Building.
-Opinion: hypothesis -Fact

If I were to go on to The best way to choose

receive my Bachelors, I a spouse is based on
would not be successful. brains, not beauty.
-Opinion: -Opinion: value
Assumption statement

There are 121 prescription drugs that come from plants.

-Fact
Keeping Your Facts Straight
Do you think that you can separate facts from opinions?

The next slide will have five statements.

Decide whether each statement is a fact, or an
opinion. Write down you answers on a
separate sheet of paper.
Keeping Your Facts Straight
Separate the facts from the opinions.
The best way to choose a spouse is based on brains, not
beauty.
The car probably stopped running because it ran out of
gas.
The Learning Center is in the Educational Services Building.
If I were to go on to receive my Bachelors, I would not be
successful.
There are 121 prescription drugs that come from plants.
Write your answers on a separate sheet of paper.
FACT 6. Alexander the
OPINION Great was one
of the greatest
military leaders
in world history.
FACT
OPINION 7. Alexander the
Great was born
in Pella,
Macedonia.
FACT
8. The exact
OPINION date of
Alexander was
probably July 20
or 26, 356 B.C.
FACT
9. Shortly
OPINION before his 33rd
birthday,
Alexander the
great died.
FACT
OPINION 10. The cause
of his death
remains
unknown.
FACT
OPINION 11. Mr. Bean is
not appropriate
to watch during
school.
FACT
12. There are
OPINION fewer panda
bears in the
world than
grizzly bears.
FACT 13. Drinking
OPINION orange juice
right after
brushing of
teeth tastes
bad.
FACT
OPINION 14. Coco Martin
deserved to win
the Best Actor
Award.
 15. Chicken that
FACT has not been
properly
OPINION prepared and
cooked may
cause
salmonella.
FACT
OPINION 16. Cheating on
your boyfriend
or girlfriend is
wrong.
FACT
OPINION
17. The Xbox
came out before
Wii.
FACT 18. Super Mario
is one of the
OPINION greatest video
game
characters of all
time.
FACT
OPINION 9. Chocolate
Milk tastes
better than
regular milk.
FACT
OPINION 10. LCUP is one
of the Catholic
Schools in the
Philippines.
 Evaluate the Context of the
Passage

1. Opinion
2. Opinion
3. Fact
4. Opinion
5. Fact
 Evaluate the Context of the
Passage

6. F/O His name and title are factual, but the value
word greatest is an opinion.
7. F This statement can be verified in historical
records.
8. O The word probably makes this a statement of
opinion.
9. F This statement can be checked and verified as
true.
10. F This is a factual statement that something
isn’t known.
 Evaluate the Context of the
Passage

11. Opinion
12. Fact
13. Opinion
14. Opinion
15. Fact
 Evaluate the Context of the
Passage

16. Opinion
17. Fact
18. Opinion
19. Opinion
20. Fact
 Facts
&
Opinion
 Chapter Review

 A fact is a specific detail that is true based on

objective proof.
 An opinion is an interpretation, value
judgment, or belief that cannot be proved or
disproved.
 An informed opinion is developed by
gathering and analyzing evidence.
 Chapter Review

 An expert opinion is developed through much

training and extensive knowledge in a given
field.
 A fact states reality.
 An opinion interprets reality.
 A fact uses unbiased words.
 An opinion uses biased words.
Philosophy of the
Human Person
PHILOSOPHY
 Ideology and Philosophy of man (2).pptx