Opinions eh.

Swan Red · April 1, 2015

I could be a bit ranty but this pisses me off.

I read posters, when challenged over a claim they’ve made, say that it is only an opinion. It irks me firstly because it implies that the reader didn’t know when most of the time it’s obvious, and secondly because it appears to privilege opinions when they really shouldn’t be.

Consider that I decide to defend the claim that the earth is flat, when challenged I then choose to defend this by stating it’s only an opinion. It isn’t, it’s a belief unless of course I have investigated it and found that my investigations tally with flatness. And even then so what? Just because it’s an opinion doesn’t mean it’s privileged. Clearly my claim that it’s only an opinion does no work there, it does not make the indefensible defensible. Where a claim is made about the world, one that is descriptive rather than evaluative the fact it is claimed as opinion is rubbish. It doesn’t make the world any flatter.

Consider a second more common example, here I defend the claim that Lionel Messi is over rated. When challenged I defend by stating it’s only an opinion. And again so what. That it is opinion isn’t any more privileged than the previous example, sure it’s an evaluative claim and as such is much easier to defend than the thesis that the world is flat but that it’s my opinion still doesn’t do any work, it’s merely restating the initial claim.

Opinions about things other than our preferences can be wrong but those opinions should at least be based on reasons, when challenged regarding some opinion, whether the earth is flat or Messi being over rated we should offer those reasons., I want to know why you hold that opinion not that you do which I already know. That’s where the scope for substantive discussion resides not in shutting down criticism by claiming a privilege for opinion that it doesn’t deserve.

Kvarme Ate My Food · April 1, 2015

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