> For instance, the fire in a crowded theatre-argument has no meaning in that reference, for it is not an opinion; whether there be fire is a fact. Okay, but h

> For instance, the fire in a crowded theatre-argument has no meaning in that reference, for it is not an opinion; whether there be fire is a fact. Okay, but how do we determine fact (i.e. positive descriptive statements about the natural world that are true [1])? In science we can define repeatable experiments, and we can them use them to test hypothesis, but such experiments cannot say if our hypothesis is true, just if it is not false. But outside of the realm of science we are much more limited. Take for example terrorist incidents, with this things are significantly different, because these are not things we can test by repeatable experiment as we can in science. For another example, no experiment is available to me to check whether or not Lukashenko rigged the election of Belarus in 2020. I suspect he did, but I don't know. It is a matter of fact though, so can I now no longer say I expect he did? What if I find evidence, can I then say he did? Take also a murder trial, does a conviction mean someone did it? Does an acquittal mean that someone did not do it? I mean if you truly believe so then how do you explain wrongful convictions and acquittals? Should we eliminate courts as they make claims of facts with no ability to guarantee their correctness? What if some witness was mistaken? Should they be convicted? Should incorrect statements about matters of fact be crimes? And if so how do we judge them? Can't use courts, because courts can make mistakes. Libel and fraud are already crimes, both in US and most of the western world, but I think restricting freedom of speech to exclude statements about fact is a misunderstanding of reality. No person is an oracle, no person has a monopoly on truth or fact, just because someone says something, does not make it so. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positive_statement https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positive_statement [2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falsifiability https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falsifiability