{"id":217,"date":"2021-03-30T16:32:30","date_gmt":"2021-03-30T16:32:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-englishcomp2\/?post_type=chapter&p=217"},"modified":"2022-07-25T19:31:01","modified_gmt":"2022-07-25T19:31:01","slug":"fact-opinion-summary-and-argument","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-englishcomp2\/chapter\/fact-opinion-summary-and-argument\/","title":{"raw":"Fact, Opinion, Judgement, Inference, and Argument","rendered":"Fact, Opinion, Judgement, Inference, and Argument"},"content":{"raw":"
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Learning Objectives<\/h3>\r\nExplain the difference between fact, opinion, judgment, and argument\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nWe\u2019ve talked a lot about reasons and evidence. These are the facts that help support your claim and give your argument the \u201clegs\u201d it needs to be supported; however, opinions are necessary in an argument, too. After all, your claim is essentially an opinion. So, what\u2019s the difference between fact and opinion?\r\n

Fact and Opinion<\/h2>\r\n\"AFacts are things that we know to be true based on evidence from observation. That bees make honey is a fact; it can be observed in a variety of ways. Opinions, on the other hand, are beliefs or views that can\u2019t be proven\u2014they are not based on any evidence. If I tell somebody that I love Honey Nut Cheerios because they taste delicious, that\u2019s an opinion.<\/strong>\u00a0If I say that in 2011, Honey Nut Cheerios was the best-selling cereal in the United States, that\u2019s a fact (according to the New York Times, by way of Wikipedia<\/a>).\r\n\r\nWatch out for the difference between facts<\/strong> (which can't really be refuted) and judgments,<\/strong>\u00a0which are really arguments in disguise. For instance, if I call Honey Nut Cheerios a \"healthy\" cereal, someone could disagree with my judgment of what constitutes \"healthy.\" In other words, I\u2019m actually making an argument. The argument may be based on facts (such as the amount of fiber per serving), or other arguments and judgments (such as the definition of a \u201cheart-healthy\u201d food according to the American Heart Association). Sometimes we look at a situation and\u00a0infer, or make a reasoned guess about, what could be happening. An\u00a0inference\u00a0<\/strong>is a logical conclusion based on the facts: if I eat a box of cereal a day, you might\u00a0infer<\/strong> that I like cereal. That's not a fact (there could be other reasons that I eat that much cereal), nor is it a judgment (\"that's too much cereal\"); it's an inference.\r\n\r\nFacts are observable, verifiable information.<\/b>\u00a0Facts are what you see, no opinions or values added. They are learned through our senses: sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch. They exist outside the observer, meaning they are reality, not the observer\u2019s impression of that reality.\r\n