BBI 3215 CRITICAL THINKING AND READING

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BBI 3215CRITICAL THINKING AND READING

• Facts vs. opinion

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Introduction

• Much of what you read in newspapers or magazines
  is a mix of factual information and the opinions
  of the author.
• Often the opinions are disguised as fact, to make
  the author's argument seem more believable.

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• "Registration and control of firearms in Canada
  is not supported by the Canadian public, and will
  not lead to a decrease in gun-related crime."

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• There is nothing wrong with mixing opinions and
  fact together in an argument, of course ... it's
  done all the time.
• What is important is that the reader be able to
  distinguish the fact from the opinion, in order
  to make a sound judgment about the information
  they are receiving!

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Facts

• Statement of actuality or occurrence. A fact is
  based on direct evidence, actual experience, or
  observation.
• A statement of fact expresses only what actually
  happened, or what could be proven by objective
  data.

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• Can the fact be verified by direct observation?
• Can the facts be trusted? How did the author come
  to the facts?
• Does the author have the skill and experience to
  make such a statement?
• Are the facts presented in an objective manner?
  (any bias evident or suspected?)
• Does the author make clear the sources of
  statements from authorities? Are these
  authorities reliable?
• Can the study which generates the facts be
  duplicated?
• Are the facts relevant to the point being made?
• Have unfavorable or negative points been left
  out? (are there counter-studies?)
• Do the facts prove the claim being made or do
  they merely suggest that the claim is reasonable?

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Opinions

• A statement of opinion expresses an attitude
  toward something it makes a judgment, view, or
  conclusion, or gives an opinion that cannot be
  proven true or false.
• Statement of belief or feeling. It shows one's
  feelings about a subject. Solid opinions, while
  based on facts, are someone's views on a subject
  and not facts themselves.

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• Does the author use words that interpret or
  label, such as pretty, ugly, safe, dangerous,
  evil, attractive, well-dressed, good, and so on?
• Are there words that clue you to statements of
  opinion, such as probably, perhaps, usually,
  often, sometimes, on occasion, I believe, I
  think, in my opinion, I feel, I suggest?
• Can you identify differing opinions and their
  effect on the author's views?

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Facts or opinion?

1. More and more women are deciding to give birth to
   their children at home. A hospital, after all, is
   not the best place for a baby to be born.
2. B. J. Vukovich, author of Claws, the best-written
   novel of the disaster genre, will speak at
   tonights How I Became An Author meeting.

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Facts or opinion?

1. Philip Luttgen, satirical columnist for the Daily
   Views, will give a rebuttal entitled What Is An
   Author?
2. The national coal strike, now into its seventh
   week, has caused untold hardships on the miners,
   their families, and the rest of the winter-weary
   nation.
3. Janet Guthrie, world famous auto racer, was the
   least nervous driver at the Indy 500

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Facts or opinion?

• Once the cavity reaches the dentin (the hard,
  dense, bone-like material that composes the
  principal mass of the tooth), it must be cleaned
  and filled. Some researchers, however, are
  beginning to question whether periodic cleaning
  and checking of the enamel (the calcareous
  substance that forms a thin layer capping the
  teeth) plays a significant role in preventing
  tooth decay.