3 ms·

Opinion vs. Stupidity

• delish 11y ago
  An extended quote: --- During an American election cycle you will see a lot of “opinions” that looks like this: “The Constitution clearly gives us the right to do X. Therefore, that’s the way it should be.” That sounds like an opinion, right? But it really isn’t. Here’s why. The Founders wisely made it hard to change the Constitution, but they did give us the tools to do it. And we have changed it in the past, e.g. slavery. So it is stupid to hold the opinion that we should do what the Constitution says, no matter what, when the authors of the document had no such intention. --- I don't think he answered his question (That sounds like an opinion, right?). Say it isn't an opinion, then what is it? If an opinion can't be right or wrong, then an interpretation can be. "the Constitution clearly gives us the right to do X," is an interpretation that needs to be supported by evidence if I'm to be convinced of it. The author showed that the proposition "The Constitution clearly gives us the right to do X" is a stupidity and not an opinion. I think that's tangential to the more general point: interpretations need examinable evidence.