Introduction

to the Philosophy
of the Human Person
DISTINGUISHING OPINION FROM TRUTH
Objectives

At the end of this module, you are expected to:

1. discriminate truth from opinion;
2. write an article based from facts and truth and
3. develop love of wisdom in order to understand the
concept of truth.
Distinguishing Opinion and
Truth

In our modern society, we usually wonder and look for

ways to answer questions that we encounter in our
everyday life.
Our life now is filled with uncertainty especially in
times of crisis. Many things are beyond our control.
Our mindset is a key to cope with difficult
circumstances.
There is a high uncertainty over employment,
finances, economy, physical and mental health.
Distinguishing Opinion and
Truth

Philosophers cope with problems by means of

knowing the concept of truth.
Philosophers consider truth as a kind of quality or
value.
Most decisions we make in our day-to-day life are
based on our knowledge. Knowledge must be
justified to be accepted as true.
Distinguishing Opinion and
Truth

For example, in the “True or False” type of test you are

required to evaluate each of the sentences if it is true or
not true. Just like in reality, you might be in situations that
you may or may not carry the truth, that is proposition.

Proposition is usually stated in short sentence, statement

or assertion that expresses a judgment or opinion.
.
Distinguishing Opinion and
Truth

As part of the method of philosophizing,

you have to understand and distinguish
the opinion from truth.
What is knowledge, ideas and
beliefs?

KNOWLEDGE
 It is fact or information which helps us understand and
became aware of something.
 It has been frequently described as “justified true
belief.
 It becomes complicated when there are many theories
and when conditions are met.
 We gain knowledge from our experience and reasoning
What is knowledge, ideas and
beliefs?

IDEAS AND BELIEFS

 Ideas
and beliefs that we know to be true are based
on our knowledge
 “Ideas”
is derived from combination of experiences
by senses.
Example: Pillow can be analyzed into simple
ideas of being soft and rectangular in shape.
What is knowledge, ideas and
beliefs?

IDEAS AND BELIEFS

 “Beliefs”
refer to attitudes about the world which
can be either true or false.
Example: “ I know that my school is the best
school in the province.”
What is knowledge, ideas and
beliefs?

Therefore, truthful statements are based on

facts. Anything that is observable and
empirical are considered truth. It means that any
claim can be truthful when there is verification
and have undergone experimentation.
Philosophy has different views which can
help us to comprehend the concept of
knowing truth.
Ways to determine truth and
distinguish it from opinion:

 looking into the nature of knowledge

 canbe justified or proven by the use of one’s
senses.
 based on facts
 derived from consensus
 requires to be proven through actions
 subjected tests for its validity
 Looking into the nature of
knowledge

We assume that everything in this world is true but

philosophers doubted everything about themselves
and the world, they always search for the origin of
knowledge.
For a philosopher, doubt drives the desire to
investigate truth. Systematic doubt is employed to
distinguish truth. This means that every statement,
claim, and evidence should be examined and
analyzed.
 Looking into the nature of
knowledge

Example : Am I alive?, Do I have a body?, Can I breathe?

Now, you have to figure out these questions. Examining
yourself if you are really alive, that you have a body, and
you can breathe. Of course, you will try to inhale and
exhale air. If you answered yes to all of the questions, then
you can conclude that previous statements are true. You
can now say:
I am alive! I have a body! I can breathe!
 Can be justified or proven by the
use of one’s senses.

Use your senses (sight, hear, taste, smell, and

touch) to prove that one belief is true.
Example: You see a rainbow after the rain.
Rainbow can be seen but is not observable to others
on the same time and day. It is accepted as true
because you see it by your eyes.
Using senses in some situations of our life may not
be enough to determine the truth.
 Based on facts

You can use facts to guide you in

distinguishing the truth, like using dictionary
or other reliable sources.
Example: Are you convinced that you can call
yourself a Filipino?
So, you may assume that the answer to the question
is true because it is stated in the encyclopedia or
any other reliable sources of information.
 Derived from consensus

This is another way to determine truth. Some people

use claims of other people as evidence to a
belief that is true.
Example: Ask your teacher, parent and other relatives
if the earth is round.
Getting the consensus of other’s belief is a better way
to accept information. Sometimes it is not applicable
to some situations and it needs to be proven as true.
 Requires to be proven through
actions

In order to determine the truth if you can do this

thing, you have to prove it.

Example: Can I play basketball?

In this example, you need to go to a place where you can
play the basketball.
This statement becomes true if you can do it or apply in
your real life.
.
 Suggested to tests for its validity

Any claim, therefore, should be subjected to tests to prove its

validity.
A belief can be justified if it is obtained in the right way.
Justification should include evidence and right way of
reasoning rather than misinformation.
Example: .
You would like to try if the newly invented juice drink is good for
you. Your friend who is a doctor claimed that it helps improve
immune system.
.
 Distinguishing Opinion and Truth

You encounter truth and opinion in your everyday

life.
Discovering yourself is the first step in exploring
knowledge and truth.
Remember, these are various philosophical views
regarding truth. It can be justified through
experience, observable facts, senses, consensus,
and claims which are tested.
 OPINION

It refers to judgment or what a person believes

or thinks about something which do not only
give facts but also give perspectives in particular
situations.

It is based on personal view. Opinion also differs

from person to person.
 OPINION

It is highly influenced by a person’s feelings,

thoughts, desires, attitude, values, etc., which
cannot be tested by concrete evidence.
OPINION

Example:
Some people have the opinion that marriage
should be for every-one, including homosexual
couples, and that it is discriminatory not to permit
gay marriage. Other people have the opinion that
marriage is a longstanding and traditional
institution between a man and a woman and that
civil unions or other non-marriage solutions should
be used for homosexuals.
 FACT
OPINION

It is an actual thing that exist, provable,  It is a personal belief or judgment.

observable and measurable.

 A fact is based on direct evidence,  A statement of belief or feelings

actual experience or observation.

 A statement of fact has objective  A statement of opinion is one whose

content and well supported by available content is ether subjective and not well
evidence. supported by available evidence.
 FACT
OPINION
Evidences may be in the form of:  To determine the statement of
 testimony of witnesses opinions, look for signal words that
 agreed upon observations convey opinions:
 written records of such testimony and  Words that shows extreme positive and
observations negative such as never, most, always,
 results of research or investigations. nobody, none, ever, all, very.
 Descriptive words that are subjective
such as: beautiful, ugly, smart, foolish,
joyful, lucky, etc.
 Language intended to appeal to
emotions like a question “ have you ever
driven down and seen all the garbage?”
 FACT
OPINION

Examples of facts: Examples of opinions:

 Statistically, women live longer  Golf is boring .
than men.  Pizza is delicious.
 There are more days in a leap  Math is the hardest subject
year than in regular year.
Take note!

A fact is not an opinion. They differs only

on types of statements.
If opinion is believed by everyone, it
does not turn into a fact.
Opinions cannot be proven. However, it
can be supported by facts.
Take note!

The ability to distinguish the fact from

opinion will help you develop your
critical, analytical, and listening skills in
reading and listening.