• SevenTales
    +3

    But that's not an opinion though. That's a belief.
    An opinion is a judgment that relies on facts.
    e.g. I am against torture, because i. torture has been proven ineffective and ii. It's against international laws.
    e.g. I do not like pickles. i. Tried them, it tasted awful.
    A belief is something that is internalised as the truth, or close to, and need no support from anything.
    e.g. I believe in ghosts
    e.g. I think god exists
    e.g. I'm pretty sure there's alien life somewhere
    e.g. I'm sure it's delivery, not frozen.

    So while you can have no respects for opinions or beliefs, only one of those can be really argued about. If you had proof that ghosts or god weren't real, that would be another ballpark. It doesn't mean it cannot be innacurate, or conceited, but since the lack of anything but internal logic makes a debate immensely complex, It's always best to leave beliefs alone.

    • spaceghoti
      +6

      Beliefs can be based on opinion rather than fact. Just because I believe gremlins are stealing my socks from the dryer doesn't mean my belief is true. So we can chalk this one up to the fuzziness of language. Opinion and belief can have some pretty heavy overlap depending on context.

      • SevenTales (edited 8 years ago)
        +2

        Beliefs can be based on opinion rather than fact.

        What I learned says different. Beliefs and opinions are two sides of the same coin, so you can't base a belief on an opinion. What distinguishes beliefs and opinions are trust and commitment vs evidences and facts. A belief is something you commit to, trusts in. This does not preclude inaccuracy or inconsistency. Your beliefs can be wrong, but you have internalized the belief as truth. In logic, there's a whole branch dedicated to beliefs, called doxastic logic, which is quite fascinating to read about by the way. :)

        Opinions are something born out of evidence. You've judged the situation based on facts, like when you choose the party you will vote for, the restaurant you will choose, your stance on television programs... You're informed, and that informed your decision. Of course, an opinion can be misinformed, or biased. If the facts are false, your opinion will be "wrong", but they are based on something. Another example would be vaccines. You can have a negative or positive outlook on the process, but your opinion of it is informed by something somewhere.

        I do believe that you are correct in the fuzziness of the usage. People use both interchangeably, but when having a serious discussion, we should remember those are two concepts, that while linked, are not supposed to overlap.

        Just because I believe gremlins are stealing my socks from the dryer doesn't mean my belief is true.

        oh, /u/gremlin is at his old tricks again? :P

      • gremlin
        +2
        @SevenTales -

        Maybe I am up to my old tricks, maybe I might steal that other 10% of your diet.

        Which I assume is poutine (which is a great after midnight snack I might add).

      • SevenTales
        +2
        @gremlin -

        It pretty much is! :D