I have been waffling on all over the place, not just here, about the difference between facts and opinions, and how we arrive at them and all that jazz. There are far more scholarly things you can read on this, but that's not what I'm here for. I (hopefully) talk about this stuff in ways that non-academics can understand. Mostly I'm preaching to the choir, but I do it anyway because I'm good like that.
So, we have these qualities we assign to things -
Good. Bad
True. False.
And mostly we talk a lot of bollocks, because good and bad are a matter of opinion (even when we overwhelmingly agree) and true and false are things that we are supposed to prove using standard methods, but they often end up being opinions in regular conversation.
So, we have to accept that there must be evidence to decide if something is true or false, but it can get a bit complex.
This is evidence.
Of what?
Oh many things. It is evidence that rural Canadians are ROOKED on the price of pizza. But that is still an opinion, although it could possibly be proven. It is evidence of an assumption (that people who eat pizza also like other junk food, data shows this is common but it's by no means universal). It is evidence that advertising exists (a fact). It is evidence that fizzy drinks are called "pop" in this locale (a fact).
It is NOT evidence that Bigfoot exists. This is art. OK, it's a stretch but it's art. Art represents things or ideas, and in this case the pizza is shaped like a big foot. It isn't a footprint, it's just fun. OK?
Is pizza good or bad? That is most definitely a matter of opinion. First, nutritionally, it contains all the food groups (if you have veggies on it) but it's rather skewed towards fat and carbs, so it probably wouldn't be a good idea to eat it every day. As a treat, I see no harm in it, others may disagree. What about taste? Well, I love pizza. It's in my top ten of yummy foods, and I have had pizza from this source and it's very good indeed. Value for money? That is a bloody expensive meal. It's intended for 4 people and that is so far outside my budget for dinner for four, that we would only do it on a birthday. Pizza isn't cheap to make because of the price of cheese, but I could serve the same food, home-cooked for about half that. Within this rundown there are facts, but that doesn't make the decision of whether pizza is good or bad any more than an opinion, still.
This is true of many things. Pizza is just "a thing". It can be good or bad on many levels. And there's no real agreement on any of it. Expert opinion would come closest. A nutritionist would probably say that eating pizza exclusively is bad and an economist would probably say that for ordinary people, spending this on dinner every day is bad, and I doubt anyone would disagree with them, but they remain expert opinion, rather than facts.
It is a fact that there is such a thing as pizza, and it is a fact that if you want to buy it here you will pay that. Pretty much everything else is opinion.
So. What else?
Porn. It is an opinion that either porn or pizza are better. Some people would opt for both.
Porn is just "a thing". It is harder to define than pizza though. There is an assumption that we are all thinking of the same thing when somebody says "porn" but that's highly unlikely. Due to Blogger's new rules I can't post any examples, but in MY opinion, simple nudity is not porn. There are those who would disagree with me and it all goes pearshaped from there. Very few facts are available when it comes to porn. There is expert opinion here - some psychologists and criminologists have data that link it to various issues - but it's far from proving cause and effect. If we can't even agree on what constitutes porn, we don't stand much chance of pinning down anything else.
The dictionary says:
printed or visual material containing the explicit description or display of sexual organs or activity, intended to stimulate erotic rather than aesthetic or emotional feelings.
But it then goes on to give "erotica" as a synonym. Many writers and partakers of erotica would argue this, but again, it's only an opinion.
I like old photos, and the Victorians, who invented photography, were also very naughty people and quickly saw its potential in this area. So if you study old photos sooner or later you will come across those labelled as erotica. If you Google "Victorian erotica" you'll see that 99% of it is simple nudity in various exotic poses, not always from the front. Some of it (I am NOT joking, go look) only shows a bit of leg! They were THAT repressed socially that knees became porn. But that 1% is no different to anything you might see today. I imagine it was much sought after at the time, and the implications of being caught with it were severe.
So, is porn good or bad? Like pizza, that partly depends on your tastes. Is it harmful? Might be if you spend money on it that was intended for food or rent. Might be if you get caught watching it when you shouldn't (e.g. at work). Might be if you are misled into thinking that real relationships are like that. So it has potential for harm, but usually only in excess/wrong situation/misuse. And so on. Sex in itself is a normal, natural thing for people to enjoy, it is also a necessary thing (fact) for the continuance of our species. But just like pizza (which is food, which is necessary to survive) it can become a bad thing.
With pizza and porn there is far more opinion than fact going on. Facts are involved, but only in certain ways.
Moreover the question of true and false is limited to those facts. You can't say, for example, is pizza true or false? The question is absurd.
You can, at least most of the time, say "this is pizza" and those looking at it will be unanimous as to whether that statement is true or false.
That cannot be said for porn, there will be many opinions.
Where does science help when it comes to things like this? Things you can't measure or prove?
Those who care about the difference between facts and opinions are less likely to get into serious, heated arguments. Two people discussing the quality of pizza are probably not going to come to blows over it, if they understand how opinion works. Even when two people dispute the definition of porn, if they understand that this is an opinion, they may well simply agree to differ.
People who become aggressively argumentative over opinions do exist, and let's not pretend they don't. Depending on the topic at hand these can be some of the worst fights out there. But the reason is that they don't understand what an opinion is. This is the basis of true stupidity.
Understanding that something is not a fact helps avoid serious conflict.
How is that science? Isn't that just philosophy? Weeeeeeell.
There is such a thing as the philosophy of science, again we need a definition:
the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, especially when considered as an academic discipline.
Knowledge, Reality. So, it's a study. And it's a careful study. It has a process, with rules, and the results are collected, shared, and peer reviewed. I vote yes.
Before I studied philosophy I'd have voted no. Before I studied philosophy I'd have been very scathing and dismissive about philosophy, generally. Before. So, we're back to ignorance. Aren't we.
The process of study, using a standard system, collecting findings, sharing them, comparing them, seeing what others think, and being prepared to be wrong, is science. But that's just my opinion.
Anyway, what matters is thinking. Knowing the difference between facts and opinions helps you make wise decisions, helps you discern. Maybe opinions are more philosophy, and facts are more science, but it all works together.
As always, I invite discussion (easier on Facebook) and all opinions are valid. (Doesn't mean they won't be disputed, respectfully, I hope).
No comments:
Post a Comment