A fact is just an opinion/statement that no one can prove wrong?

Question

For instance. Is it a fact that no two snowflakes are alike? Or is this just a statement that can't be proven wrong. Do you agree that some facts are indeed just statements that no one can prove wrong? Such as being found guilty of a crime by having a witness at your case in court. What are your views on this?

Answer 1

Not necessarily. In science for instances, facts can be laws that cannot be broken. E.g. laws of physics on this planet - jumping up = falling down. Then again, evolution is considered "fact" although it could be a bunch of baloney (no offense to evolutionists).

In my opinion (he! he! - opinion):

Fact = plain truth.

Opinion = a logical (but sometimes illogical) guess that may or may not be the truth that can be proven wrong (although it may not have been at the time the opinion was formed).

Of course, opinion that *can't* be proven wrong may be taken as fact simply because we humans are limited - whether or not it's the truth is undeterminable.

The truth is out there... that's a fact...

Answer 2

The thing about aliens is heresay.

Everything in the world is opinion till proved wrong, or right.

Good examples of facts are: the weather; it varies from region to region.  Dinosaurs once roamed our planet; not all dogs bark and not all birds sing and or fly; some even run as fast as a horse. Last of all we can't avoid death.

Answer 3

I think a fact requires the presence of truth, not the absence of contradiction. For example, there was no evidence in the Duke rape case and the suspects were found innocent, but only they and the accuser know for sure.

Answer 4

opinions are just that, opinions.  facts are just that, they've been proven, therefore factual.  theories are opinions until and unless they're proven to be factual.

Answer 5

Opinions and theories are statement until they are proven.  If they are correct then they become a fact.

It has been proven that snowflakes are all different, so that is a FACT.

Most statements are a matter of opinions so they are not based on facts and must be weighed as such.

Answer 6

Thats very good, yes in science the only way to prove something is to fail to dis-prove it. Thats why boys and girls there is no such thing as Global Warming. It has been disproved time and again.

Answer 7

Yes, absolutely good question.

I agree with Anna M. Any college student, or any student who has taken a science course should understand that fact is only something that has failed to be disproven through the course of time. You can only work toward proving that something is "factual" by disproving other possibilities which would make that "fact" null and void.

Answer 8

Facts are the valid result of experiments, and or mathematical equations.

An opinion is a subjective remark.

A statement is a remark that can be an opinion or a fact.

Answer 9

My "view" is in line with definition.

Facts can be proven

If it's not possible to prove, it's an opinion, theory or belief

Answer 10

No a fact is a statement that can be proven RIGHT.

Like it is a FACT that the earth is round. Its a FACT that an apple is a fruit. Its a FACT that water is a liquid.

Facts can be proven RIGHT.

The existence of God is a statement that can't be proven wrong. Yet its still not a FACT because it can't be proven RIGHT either.

Answer 11

Global warming is an excellent example. It is all theory. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that the Earth may not be warming, but is man causing it? Here is the dilemma. No one has proven or disproven this question yet. What bothers me is that people like Al Gore is passing Global Warming off as a proven fact. Whether you believe in Global Warming or not, it is not a proven fact yet.

Answer 12

Thats how social sciences and psychology define facts, which has lead to some pretty crackpot theories

Answer 13

In law school you learn that "truth is opinion."  Facts and truth are opinions held by experts or a majority of people, or a judge or jury.  

They judge and jury are even called "the fact-finders."  Things are facts because the judge or jury deem them so.  Many popularly held truths-the world is flat- have been proved untrue.

It's all opinion.  Truth is for children, who need a black and white world.  You are an adult when you realize that everything falls into the gray area.

Rio - the Courts find people "not prove guilty."  Courts never say that a person is innocent.  They are ASSUMED innocent until proven guilty.  Assumed innocent and innocent are completely different things.

Answer 14

Great question.

Actually, I think there is a general consensus that facts are unquestionnable and cannot be disproven.

However, they may be more in the realm of generally held beliefs that haven't be successfully challenged in popular opinion yet.

For instance, it was once considered fact that the earth was flat. When evidence to the contrary became widely known, it was no longer considered a fact.

As for your example of no two snowflakes being alike, I think of that more as an adage than a fact, whereas it has never been proven and is difficult and may never be proven.

To me a fact is not so much something that hasn't be disproven but rather something that has been supported by evidence, research and/or widely held popular belief.

As a sociologist, I tend to think that it is also culturally relative and situationally specific.

Thanks for the question!

Answer 15

Facts are completly relative. In the 1500's it was a fact that the world was flat. Only absolute fact i have found is that every living thing on this world eventually dies. Other than that its relative to where you are your culture and your language.

Answer 16

I'd say it's a bit more than that.

A "fact" has some sort of inarguable support ( aka proof)

Look all you want for the 2 snow flakes that are alike, no one has found them yet .

Your court example does not qualify as fact, it can easily be argued that witnesses make mistakes or even worse lie.