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> why should you "believe" in facts to begin with? I'm not really sure what you're asking here, especially since you put believe in quotes. Facts are - by def

> why should you "believe" in facts to begin with? I'm not really sure what you're asking here, especially since you put believe in quotes. Facts are - by definition - things that are true, indisputable, regardless of whether you believe them or not. As such, a refusal to believe facts makes one wrong - at least about that particular thing. If a person insists on being wrong about a particular thing, in the face of facts proving such wrongness, it is probable that that person is: - wrong about other things - unable or unwilling to reason correctly (at least in certain circumstances) I don't know about you, but wherever possible, I try to avoid having to rely in any way, or otherwise be affected by the actions of people who can't or won't act rationally

tabeth 9y ago
I agree that facts by definition are things that are true. I disagree that refusing to believe said facts makes you wrong, unless the discussion was solely centered around asserting said fact to be true or not. In my experience that's rarely the case. Even in your example you said that it is probable that the person is wrong about other things or unable or unwilling to reason correctly if they insist on being wrong about a particular thing. However, facts are only defined by the present state of knowledge one possesses. In other words, facts can change to conjecture with the introduction of new evidence. How do you know someone who refuses to believe what you think is a fact is not just more enlightened than you?
- coolgeek 9y ago
  > However, facts are only defined by the present state of knowledge one possesses. In other words, facts can change to conjecture with the introduction of new evidence. What you are alluding to here are not facts, they are hypotheses, guesses, theories, conjecture... I wrote this comment. That is a fact. It will never change, regardless of any evidence you may speculate. It will be a fact until the heat death of the universe. Anybody who refuses to believe this fact is not more enlightened than me, they are someone who does not understand what a fact is. To extend Moynihan - everybody is entitled to their own opinions, hypotheses, guesses, theories, conjecture, etc. But they are not entitled to their own facts.

tabeth 9y ago

I agree that facts by definition are things that are true. I disagree that refusing to believe said facts makes you wrong, unless the discussion was solely centered around asserting said fact to be true or not. In my experience that's rarely the case. Even in your example you said that it is probable that the person is wrong about other things or unable or unwilling to reason correctly if they insist on being wrong about a particular thing. However, facts are only defined by the present state of knowledge one possesses. In other words, facts can change to conjecture with the introduction of new evidence. How do you know someone who refuses to believe what you think is a fact is not just more enlightened than you?

coolgeek 9y ago
> However, facts are only defined by the present state of knowledge one possesses. In other words, facts can change to conjecture with the introduction of new evidence. What you are alluding to here are not facts, they are hypotheses, guesses, theories, conjecture... I wrote this comment. That is a fact. It will never change, regardless of any evidence you may speculate. It will be a fact until the heat death of the universe. Anybody who refuses to believe this fact is not more enlightened than me, they are someone who does not understand what a fact is. To extend Moynihan - everybody is entitled to their own opinions, hypotheses, guesses, theories, conjecture, etc. But they are not entitled to their own facts.