Opinion vs Fact

Opinion

Opinions are what you should avoid in your essay, and something you should never use as evidence to support your thesis.

Something is an opinion if it:

• Does not require verification:

• Has failed to acquire verification:

• Or cannot acquire verification:

Fact

Fact is not “the truth.” Fact is “what is found” during the search for the truth.

Fact can either be arrived at logically (through the argumentation of a hypothesis) or arrived at by experience (through the experimentation of a hypothesis).

Fig. 1 - Photosynthesis is a fact.

Potential Facts

Potential facts are in the process of being proven or disproven. Take for example the advanced study of physics. It would be incorrect to describe the study of quantum mechanics as a study of “opinions,” simply because the topics contained in the field are not fully verified. Rather, the topics regard “potential facts” or "theoretical ideas" that are in the pipeline of research.

There is some overlap between “opinions that have failed to acquire verification” and “potential facts,” but the good news is that neither should be used in an essay as logical support. Potential facts might be referenced as a possible avenue for advancement, oftentimes appropriately in the conclusion of an essay, but “potential facts” should not occupy body paragraphs as a replacement for facts.

Potential facts are often worked upon in theoretical and philosophical fields, and can be identified by their presence near the top of academic study. On the other hand, “opinions that have failed to acquire verification” can be identified by their outsized presence on social media and by their propagation by tabloids, influencers, and celebrities.

Similarities Between Opinion and Fact

There are some fundamental similarities between opinions and facts, but don’t use these things to help you decide whether something is opinion or fact.

Opinions and Facts are Both Conclusions

Someone can present a fact with their whole chest, and someone can present an opinion with their whole chest. Both are conclusive, which can make both of them appear like objective facts. Just because something is said like it is a fact, however, does not mean that it is a fact.

Note that the opposite is also true. Just because something is said in a tentative or unoptimized manner, it does not mean that it is logically flawed and thus an opinion. Do not rely on how something is presented. Instead, pay attention to the content. Right things can be said in a small voice.

Opinions and Facts Both Evolve

This year, pizza might be your favorite food. Next year, it might be brussels sprouts, who knows?

Likewise, what we regard as fact evolves as we learn more. However, opinion is not likely to become fact in this evolutionary process. Rather, potential facts will become facts in this evolutionary process.

Differences Between Opinion and Fact

Opinion is not concerned with verification, while facts are. Ironically, because of this, stating an opinion is far more conclusive than stating a fact. This is why a scientist might struggle to quickly prove a fact while a conspiracy theorist or fear-monger will quickly “prove their point” using some form of faulty logic. Testing hypotheses is time-consuming. Making stuff up is quick.

Someone is not foolish because it takes them time to teach something or to learn something. Someone is foolish when they teach or take something to be fact because it is emotionally exciting.

Identifying Opinion vs. Fact with Examples

Let’s break down opinions and facts:

Identifying Opinions

Here is how you identify an opinion. Any of these are signs that something is an opinion.

Subjective Conclusions (Biased)

It is an opinion if it is subjective. In other words, if it contains a personal bias, then it is an opinion.

Fig. 2 - The apple, subjectively the apple of our eye.

Contested Conclusions (Verification Inconclusive)

It is an opinion if the verification is inconclusive. In other words, if a hypothesis has been repeatedly tested and the result consistently provides no answer, then to declare a conclusion is a matter of opinion.

Moral Conclusions

Moral judgments should not be used as logical support. Instead of writing in terms of “right and wrong,” instead write in terms of cause and effect. For instance, don’t write about why pollution is wrong. Instead, write about how it is harmful to the planet.

Conclusions About the Unknown (Verification Impossible)

Something is unknown if it cannot be verified in any way at present, and is thus an opinion. Examples of this include: future events not observed by scientific rhythm (the moon’s orbit is not an opinion, for example); past events not observed, recorded, or logically deduced; and faith-based arguments.

Identifying Facts

Here is how you identify a fact. Any of these are signs that something is a fact.

Objective Conclusions (Without Bias)

Something is a fact if it is methodically arrived at without any bias. If the truth is what a researcher seeks, their conclusions will not be tainted with assumptions and personal opinions.

Quantifiable Conclusions (by Research)

Scientific measurements are hugely beneficial in research because they provide a baseline for validity. If a system of measurement is accurate, then something measured that way can be quantified. If something is quantified, that means that numbers can be assigned to it. Quantifiable data is used to draw conclusions based on what we know about that system of measurement.

Verifiable (by Multiple Accounts)

If something is clearly witnessed by multiple unbiased people, then it can be considered a fact. Note the words clearly, multiple, and unbiased. Something is clearly witnessed if it doesn’t happen under dubious conditions, such as someone seeing someone in pitch darkness. If the people are multiple, then more than one person saw it. If someone is unbiased, then they don’t have any preconceived ideas about what might have happened. To give an example of bias, if someone distrusts their neighbor, then that person might be more inclined to think their neighbor did something wrong before any evidence is provided.

Verification by multiple accounts is used all the time, not just in criminal investigations. People use this method of verification to verify all kinds of things that they do not personally witness. If you don’t attend a party, you can still verify that it happened by talking to those who did attend.

Fig. 3 - Verified by more than a few folks.

Trusted Sources (and Common Knowledge)

When analyzing a passage or writing your own essay, you will frequently rely on trusted sources and common knowledge. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary is an example of a trusted source. “Most birds fly” is an example of common knowledge.

All of this said, just be sure everything is what it claims to be!

How to Avoid Misleading Facts

Do not be hoodwinked by faulty conclusions and sneaky sources. Here are some common ways that “facts” can be misleading.

Be Wary of Unverified Sources

Vague phrases like “studies show...” are often misleading because they don’t cite the studies. Even if something cites a study, don’t trust it just because it’s a study. Some studies are biased and bogus. Consider: what is the actual source of this evidence?

Be Wary of Unread Context

If you haven’t read the study or book that someone cites, you should probably take a glance at it. They could be using it out of context. This goes for videos or photos as well, which are particularly hazardous when used out of context, because photos and videos are often considered to be positive proof. They can be positive proof, but only when correctly attributed, contextualized, and verified. In the age of photo and video manipulation, videos and photos must be verified. "Deepfakes" now exist that can conjure real-seeming people and voices using a computer.

Be Wary of Generalization

If a study or idea is generalized, be wary of it. Don’t trust broad conclusions drawn from a single source or study. Don’t trust broad conclusions about a genre based on a single book or song. Don’t trust broad conclusions about a society, a philosophy, or a people based on one piece of evidence. Bottom line: huge conclusions require huge amounts of evidence. This type of logic should be avoided:

Be Wary of Sets of Information

Here’s an example:

A phrase like this may or may not be helpful to an argument, even when it is verifiably true. For instance, this statement of fact does not support that this AC is energy efficient, or particularly effective at cooling down higher temperatures. Before you cite a set of information as evidence, you must be sure that the set of evidence contains what you think it does.

Rarely can huge sets of information be used to broadly support one contention. Break down reports, regulations, and even laws in order to use them as evidence. Do not cite the whole when only one part is relevant to your argument. For example, do not appeal to the United States Constitution as an ultimate authority in its own right. After all, at one point, Article 1 of the United States Constitution contained the three-fifths compromise, which helped to constitutionalize slavery. Obviously, even authoritative documents are not right all the time. This fallacy is called the argument from authority.

Be Wary of All Logical Fallacies

Logic is an extremely powerful tool that you can use to verify ideas all on your own. However, if you take a single misstep in your logic, your conclusion will not be correct. These missteps are called logical fallacies. An argument from authority is just a single fallacy among many. Others include circular reasoning and missing the point. Study logical fallacies and look out for them when analyzing something or when writing something yourself.