[form] "LEARNING HOW TO THINK STRAIGHT" Your Name please: [text,r_name,30] Email: [text,r_email,30] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Issue 2: Sifting facts from Opinions What's a fact? Thinkers have puzzled over this question for centuries. Here's the definition we have gotten the most agreement for: A FACT is a physical phenomenon - or an act by a living thing - that people can observe and verify. It is NOT an idea a theory a hypothesis an opinion a thought a feeling a sense some vibes a prediction OBSERVE and VERIFY what do they mean? When people OBSERVE something, they can see it, hear it, touch it, smell it, or taste it. Sometimes they can do all of those things, sometime only one or two of them. It depends on the fact they are observing. Generally, when something is a fact, other people can see, hear, touch, smell, or taste the same thing you can. When they agree on a fact because of what their senses tell them, they VERIFY it. You also can VERIFY something for yourself by checking to see if your senses give you the same information that they did before. Sometimes we're sure we've got the facts until someone points out that we've just made an assumption. (Making an ASSUMPTION means that you are guessing or supposing or taking for granted.) What we thought was a fact (we could've sworn it) was really an opinion. (There's nothing wrong with having an opinion, of course, as long as you tell yourself and other people that it's just your opinion and could stand some checking out.) The following story and questions about it will give you some good practice in sorting out facts from opinions and assumptions. Read this story carefully ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On Tuesday, October 9th, I got a call from Lorraine Callahan inviting me to a party at her house the following Saturday. I didn't really want to go, so I told her I was busy. On Thursday I ran into Willie Mason at the Country Corner Shopping Center and he asked me if I wanted to go to a party with him. I said I did but I didn't get any details because he had to leave. When he called me Saturday morning, he told me that the party was at the house of someone he had just met and he couldn't remember her name. When we got there, it turned out to be Lorraine Callahan's. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NOW, read each of the following statements. If you are ABSOLUTELY sure a statement is true, click the radio button by the T. If you are absolutely sure it is false, select the F. IF Otherwise select the maybe-maybe not answer. 1. The person speaking is female [radio,01,true,checked] True [radio,01,false] False [radio,01,maybe maybe not] Maybe, Maybe not 2. Lorraine and the person speaking are good friends. [radio,02,true,checked] True [radio,02,false] False [radio,02,maybe maybe not] Maybe, Maybe not 3 Lorraine was planning a big party [radio,03,true,checked] True [radio,03,false] False [radio,03,maybe maybe not] Maybe, Maybe not 4. The person speaking doesn't like Lorraine [radio,04,true,checked] True [radio,04,false] False [radio,04,maybe maybe not] Maybe, Maybe not 5. Lorraine's parties are dull [radio,05,true,checked] True [radio,05,false] False [radio,05,maybe maybe not] Maybe, Maybe not 6. Lorraine is a teen-ager [radio,06,true,checked] True [radio,06,false] False [radio,06,maybe maybe not] Maybe, Maybe not 7. The person speaking is honest [radio,07,true,checked] True [radio,07,false] False [radio,07,maybe maybe not] Maybe, Maybe not 8. The person speaking said (s)he didn't want to go to the party [radio,08,true,checked] True [radio,08,false] False [radio,08,maybe maybe not] Maybe, Maybe not 9. The person speaking had planned to do something on Saturday [radio,09,true,checked] True [radio,09,false] False [radio,09,maybe maybe not] Maybe, Maybe not 10. Willie Mason and the person speaking often go shopping [radio,10,true,checked] True [radio,10,false] False [radio,10,maybe maybe not] Maybe, Maybe not 11. Willie Mason is a male [radio,11,true,checked] True [radio,11,false] False [radio,11,maybe maybe not] Maybe, Maybe not 12. There are often parties at Lorraine Callahan's [radio,12,true,checked] True [radio,12,false] False [radio,12,maybe maybe not] Maybe, Maybe not 13. The person speaking likes parties [radio,13,true,checked] True [radio,13,false] False [radio,13,maybe maybe not] Maybe, Maybe not 14. Willie was shopping when the person speaking met Willie [radio,14,true,checked] True [radio,14,false] False [radio,14,maybe maybe not] Maybe, Maybe not 15. Willie invited him or her to a party. [radio,15,true,checked] True [radio,15,false] False [radio,15,maybe maybe not] Maybe, Maybe not 16. Willie is always in a hurry [radio,16,true,checked] True [radio,16,false] False [radio,16,maybe maybe not] Maybe, Maybe not 17. The person speaking accepted the invitation [radio,17,true,checked] True [radio,17,false] False [radio,17,maybe maybe not] Maybe, Maybe not 18. Willie and Lorraine had just met [radio,18,true,checked] True [radio,18,false] False [radio,18,maybe maybe not] Maybe, Maybe not 19. The person speaking and Willie went to the party together [radio,19,true,checked] True [radio,19,false] False [radio,19,maybe maybe not] Maybe, Maybe not 20. The person speaking was surprised and embarrassed to see Lorraine [radio,20,true,checked] True [radio,20,false] False [radio,20,maybe maybe not] Maybe, Maybe not ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Questions or Comments? 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