I seen this topic on another site today, and it got my attention. My answer was "a answer is an accepted opinion."
What is your take on it?
What is the difference between an "answer" and an "opinion"?
by DavidChristopher 17 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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blondie
an·swer
(nsr)
n.
1.
a. A spoken or written reply, as to a question.
b. A correct reply.
2.
a. A solution, as to a problem.
b. A correct solution.
3. An act in retaliation or response: Our only possible answer was to sue.
4. Something markedly similar to another of the same class: cable TV's answer to the commercial networks' sportscasts.
5. Law A defendant's defense against charges.
v. an·swered, an·swer·ing, an·swers
v.intr.
1. To speak, write, or act as a return, as to a question.
2. To be liable or accountable: You must answer for your actions.
3. To serve the purpose; suffice: "Often I do use three words where one would answer" Mark Twain.
4. To correspond; match: I found a dog answering to that description.
v.tr.
1. To speak, write, or act as a return to; respond to.
2. To respond correctly to.
3. To fulfill the demands or needs of; serve: "My fortune has answered my desires" Isaak Walton.
4. To conform or correspond to: The suspect answers the description given by the police.
o·pin·ion
(-pnyn)
n.
1. A belief or conclusion held with confidence but not substantiated by positive knowledge or proof: "The world is not run by thought, nor by imagination, but by opinion" Elizabeth Drew.
2. A judgment based on special knowledge and given by an expert: a medical opinion.
3. A judgment or estimation of the merit of a person or thing: has a low opinion of braggarts.
4. The prevailing view: public opinion.
5. Law A formal statement by a court or other adjudicative body of the legal reasons and principles for the conclusions of the court. -
DavidChristopher
I was looking for your thoughts Blondie. Not websters "judgment/opinion/answer/explanation/belief/truth" But thank you.
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blondie
I did highlight what IMO applied.
Answer...opinion
Po TAY to, Po TAT o....let's call the whole thing off.
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JCinme
I think a true answer is something that can be backed with evidence, an opinion is something subjective that comes from peoples experiences, personal research (popular opinion), and life but isn't necessarily backed by concrete evidence.
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DavidChristopher
I see a big problem with people presenting their opinions as facts. Just saying it is fact is a strong often successful tactic. Most people won't question a fact. Is there any good counter tactic for seperating a opinion from a fact? Or a opinion presented as a fact?
This is where the GB have plenty of experience, and I feel we need a weapon to combat this.
Any thoughts?
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tetrapod.sapien
damn it, and dictionarys.
What is the difference between an "answer" and an "opinion"?
nothing.
not a thing.
sure, there are factual answers. facts are pieces of data strung together, and data is not a solitary entity man. we love patterns. the more complex and elegant the pattern, the more we are wowed. but data is always in relation to other peices of data. what you think is "good" data for one point, is the "meta data" of a future point, and the "moot" data for a previous one.
it's all relative. even the fuckin physical laws of the universe, thermodynamics and entropy. opinions in formula.
what do the facts mean to you? what is factual and what is fantasy? ha! we all know, don't we? the answer seems so easy: "well, factual is what it says right here in the dictionary, and damn it, i'm gonna hold onto that if it's the last thing i can grasp in this world." and no, you never want to take that away from someone who needs it. there's no shame in it.
but what will it be for you? the right hand path? or the left hand path?
there are no answers. just understanding the context of questions.
TS
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A Paduan
Did people who become jws learn 'sets' at school ?
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DavidChristopher
I see what you mean T.S....sort of. Are you saying that people lean toward any kind of authority, even a dictionary? But the dictionary could be wrong...So therefore answers don't really exist..just accepted opinions presented as answers and facts? Am I close?
What is a 'set'?
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SuzieQ
Is this in reference to the way a bible study is conducted by JW's? If so this is a good question and one I've often asked myself. When answering at the Kingdom Hall-your answer has to be the "correct" answer out of the literature, which I've always found demeaning in a way. I've heard people give their opinions at different studies before and they get shut down immediately by the person conducting the study when their opinion differs from the info in the literature!
(
n
s
r)
n.
1.
a. A spoken or written reply, as to a question.
b. A correct reply.
2.
a. A solution, as to a problem.
b. A correct solution.
3. An act in retaliation or response: Our only possible answer was to sue.
4. Something markedly similar to another of the same class: cable TV's answer to the commercial networks' sportscasts.
5. Law A defendant's defense against charges.
v. an·swered, an·swer·ing, an·swers
v.intr.
1. To speak, write, or act as a return, as to a question.
2. To be liable or accountable: You must answer for your actions.
3. To serve the purpose; suffice: "Often I do use three words where one would answer" Mark Twain.
4. To correspond; match: I found a dog answering to that description.
n