Who Should Answer

[Barmaid]

A recent post in B&S has provoked a little controversy as to who should respond and what with.

The example is the OP asked what to expect from a prostate biopsy. He had 2 answers from personal experience and 2 with good informative links.

I think this is one of the joys of AB -people will genuinely try and help.

I dont have any strong views. I sometimes get irritated in Law when people give the wrong answer, but I am happy to correct it. Ultimately, people are just doing their best.

Your views please (vain attempt to prevent thread in B&S being swamped).......

[andy-hughes]

Sqad - //Who decides which colour is best, so that it is a fact, and beyond debate,"

That particular individual, unless of course that you can prove she is lying.....not easy. //

That is simply not true, by any meaningful measure.

A fact is not a fact for one person, it is a fact for everyone, surely you must be able to see that?

[Sqad]

I think that we have squeezed enough out of this:
Our opinions have often proved wrong in the past, in the present and will remain so in the future.

[naomi24]

andy-hughes, //A fact is not a fact for one person, it is a fact for everyone//

Indeed it is, which is why opinions that are at odds with facts are invalid.

[jim360]

By definition, no person can be the arbiter of what is, and what is not, a fact. It is, or is not, a fact on its own merit.

Problem is that too many people have an opinion on what is fact, and everyone's opinion seems to be at odds with at least one other person.

[andy-hughes]

jim - //By definition, no person can be the arbiter of what is, and what is not, a fact. It is, or is not, a fact on its own merit. //

Thank you! I was starting to lose the will to live!!

// Problem is that too many people have an opinion on what is fact, and everyone's opinion seems to be at odds with at least one other person. //

That to an extent is true.

Personally, I love the fact that opinions can be discussed and debated, it's the life-blood of a site like this one.

[andy-hughes]

Baldric - /////It can't be wrong - it's an OPINION!!!!!!!!///

Of course it can be wrong. An opinion offered as an answer to a question has a 50/50 chance of being correct, and at some stage facts will materialise which will prove the opinion to be right or wrong. //

I have to disagree.

An opinion is never 'correct', or indeed 'incorrect' - by definition, and I have posted one - an opinion is one person's view on something. It is not intended to be the definitive version of anything, it is just that person's view, and anyone is welcome to agree, or not.

There is no such thing as an opinion having a '50/50 chance of being correct" - please let me give you an example.

Opinion - Rod Hull and Emu have created a greater lasting effect on modern culture than the works of William Shakespeare.

Now that is a point of view, but if you waited for hell to freeze over, that could never ever become a fact.

// I think the main problem is that AH just can't accept that sometimes he just doesn't get it right, well that's my opinion anyway. //

And you are entitled to think that, but you are in fact wrong.

History shows that I am more than happy to admit an error if I have made one - I did so earlier today on one of the Jacob Rees-Mogg threads.

I have no problem in being wrong, or admitting that I am wrong.

When I stated that the Catholic church does not exclude people who go against its doctrine, it was pointed out that I was wrong. And I was, I stated as a fact something which is incorrect.

What I have a problem with, is offering an opinion, and being told I am wrong, which by definition, cannot be the case.

[Garaman]

//opinions are not required to have knowledge to be valid//

Opinions are just that, valid opinions, however, are soundly based on logic or fact, so do require knowledge of the subject.

[andy-hughes]

Garaman - ////opinions are not required to have knowledge to be valid//

Opinions are just that, valid opinions, however, are soundly based on logic or fact, so do require knowledge of the subject. //

And your point is?

I am not debating the finer semantics of valid versus general opinions, right now I am struggling to get Sqad to see the difference between an opinion and a fact.

I do understand the difference between what is simply an opinion, and what is a valid opinion.

For example - I believe that the moon is made of green cheese is an opinion, but it is not a valid opinion.

[Garaman]

My point is, Andy, as your statement shows, and as Naomi has pointed out, is that you don't seem to understand when you are giving an opinion that isn't a valid opinion.

[andy-hughes]

Garaman - I carelessly read your post previous to mine, and you are absolutely right, and I am on this occasion in error, and happy to concede your point.

I will endeavour to be more careful in future when offering an opinion, not to infer that it is knowledge-based, if it is not, although I do try very hard not to do that.

We are all human - mistakes do happen.

Thanks for the debate - interesting I hope you will agree, and indeed, informative - in my opinion (!!).

[naomi24]

//I will endeavour to be more careful in future when offering an opinion, not to infer that it is knowledge-based//

Hallelujah!

[Barmaid]

Sorry I had to leave yesterday due to having to deal with vermin.

The earth is not flat. Fact. If it were cats would have pushed everything off it by now.

Anyway, an interesting thread. Thanks to those who have contributed.

[andy-hughes]

Naomi - // //I will endeavour to be more careful in future when offering an opinion, not to infer that it is knowledge-based//

Hallelujah! //

To the best of my knowledge, I have always been clear that I am simply expressing an opinion to which I am entitled, when that is what I am doing.

It comes with the self-awareness that I don't actually know everything, and even if I do know more about something than others, taking the pompous moraL ground in responses is never an attractive option.

Perhaps a little more self-awareness and a little less constant peevishness would improve your approach to threads.

It's a thought.

[naomi24]

^ :o)