Title: Fact and Opinion: Is There Really a Difference
1Fact 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
2How to Navigate Through a PowerPoint
Workshop
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experienced as a workshop. - To ensure that you do not miss important
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3Lets 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.
4Lets Get The Facts Straight!
A fact is something that can be proven
by a reliable authority such as
Proven scientific law
A history book
Statistics
Governmental law
Measurements
Mathematics
An observation
Note None of these authorities are fool proof,
but information that they provide is considered
to be fact.
5Lets Look at Some Examples of Facts
Reliable Authority
Facts
Must Have a
6More Examples of Facts
What About Observations?
Observations are facts because they can be proven
by the senses.
Fact
How it is Provable
7Getting 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.
8Lets 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?
excellent
Apparently,
All of these words are hints that there is an
opinion present.
necessary.
It is likely
It is unfair
9Types 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.
10Types 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.
11Types 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.
12Types 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.
13Types 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.
14Types 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.
15Opinions Words To Look Out For
There are Certain Words that will Warn You that
You are Being Given an Opinion and Not a Fact!
Successful
Maybe
Perhaps
Necessary
Best / Worst
Apparently
Probably
Experts Agree
16Getting 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.
17Keeping 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.
18Keeping 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.
19Keeping Your Facts Straight
How well did you do?
The Learning Center is in the Educational
Services Building. -Fact
The car probably stopped running because it ran
out of gas. -Opinion hypothesis
The best way to choose a spouse is based on
brains, not beauty. -Opinion value
statement
If I were to go on to receive my Bachelors, I
would not be successful. -Opinion Assumption
There are 121 prescription drugs that come from
plants. -Fact
20Need more help Separating Facts from Opinions?
Visit Us on Campus at
The Learning Center Room 100
Educational Services Building
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