"Opinion is something intermediary between knowledge and ignorance" ~Plato
Let's face it, being objective these days isn't easy. It would seem that the technological age, and that of social media, have inundated us with a mass saturation of opinions. In fact, facebook is a veritable cesspool of opinion and circular arguments birthed from emotional polarity on every level and within every genre of life - whether it be science, medicine, psychology, physiology, education, politics....the future.
To add more complexity, the sources we used to go to for information and news have also jumped on the 'opinion band wagon' and has become 'opinion news' filled with panels of 'opinion experts'. It creates quite a bit of noise and an ever present dichotomy with no end in sight to come to any meaningful conclusions. We have become addicted to opinion rather than facts and actionable resolutions.
"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." ~John F. Kennedy
Yes, it is far easier to repeat from the echo chamber of social media and opinion news than to dive into the depths of researching the topics we most care about. Accumulating knowledge and critical thinking isn't so easily gained without a great deal of experience and time.
Fact: A statement of actuality or occurrence. A fact is based on direct evidence, actual experience, or observation.
Opinion: A statement of belief or feeling. It shows one’s feelings about a subject. Solid opinions, while based on facts, are someone’s views on a subject and not facts themselves.
In other words, opinions are dependent on the mind and are subjective and facts are independent of the mind and are objective.
If we take this explanation to heart, the who, what, where question becomes particularly important in evaluating the opinions we either hold within ourselves or listen to in others.
The obvious problem with opinions and opinion-based news is that the attempt to bridge the gap in understanding and resolution - to actually progress to the next chapter in our social evolution - becomes fallible by our own cognitive capacities. Beliefs are still beliefs and often times turn out to be a representation of a false reality.
In fact, intellectual integrity, should be our ultimate aim if we are to move into a future that is based on sustainable decision-making, psychological prosperity and creative freedom. Where knowledge and experience drive us rather than stagnation and oppressive opinion wars that in my very, very humble 'opinion' are cracking the very foundations of our human civility.
As dangerous as opinions have become in our current state of affairs, I'm not lost to the fact that there is some semblance of usefulness to the attention it gets - whether good or bad. After all, an opinion has the ability to provoke thought if it elicits an emotional response, if we ask the right questions. It brings the topic to the table (albeit with much mud slinging) - but it's THERE....like poison ivy requiring us to pay attention - maybe even scratch it a little and then apply a healthy dose of knowledge to neutralize the itch (how do you like that metaphor? LOL).
It might possibly be that opinions are the preamble to knowledge if that is our intent and the direction we'd like to take.
