I was listening to a talk back radio show where the host ('spooonman' on triple M for those living in Australia), made it quite clear he does not believe that all opinions should be considered equal.
At first I thought "how could you say that"? But he then backed in up with logic.
For example, you are a mate are discussing whether Australia would pull out of IRAQ in front of a group of people who have not decided.
You have a sound understanding of the situation in the Middle East and know the facts, whilst your friend does not understand the situation, and is merely using rumors he had previously heard.
Why should your friend's opinion be considered equal to your understood opinion?
He made it quite clear that EVERYONE is entitled to their opinion
After listening to this I agree. Not all opinions are equal, but everyone is entitled to their opinion.
What do you think?

Why should your friends opinion be considered equal to your understood opinion?
He made it quite clear that EVERYONE is entitled to their opinion
After listening to this i agree. Not all opinions are equal, but everyone is entitled to their opinion.
What do you think?

I agree. Although you would have to word it correctly if you were explaining this to someone.

I consider your opinion flawed and missguided, hence I will not listen to you LALALALALALALA I can't hear you.

Yes, some peoples opinions are misguided but isn't that the point of an opinion, to be opinionative? An opinion is not wrong or right, it's an opinion.

An opinion is not wrong or right?
So someone could hold the opinion that grass was a bright teal colour, and even though you and everyone else could clearly see that it's green, you wouldn't say they were wrong?

Fire Daemon:
I consider your opinion flawed and missguided, hence I will not listen to you LALALALALALALA I can't hear you.

Yes, some peoples opinions are misguided but isn't that the point of an opinion, to be opinionative? An opinion is not wrong or right, it's an opinion.

I understand what you're saying here, but in that case why do people get arrested/frowned upon, when stating their opinions on Religion/Race and other such things in public?
They are only as you are saying yourself being opinionative, so why would it matter.

As for the OP, I agree that some people's opinions matter more than others.
If I'm curious as to what people think on the idea of something like; 'Is murder acceptable?' and I speak to a convicted serial killer and a normal everyday guy on the street, whose opinion am I going to value more?

When seeking guidance over relationship issues, or something important I'd take the opinions of a friend/family over a stranger's anyday. Opinions definitely aren't equal.

First thing's fisrt, I love the Spoonman! That man is god. A sort a DJ Yahtzee that plays only classic rock and has the only desent talk back show.

Anyway, that is a good question. I feel that people are entitled to their opinions, but some opinions are flawed and in turn, worthless.

No, opinions are not equal, because people are more influential than others.

That's MY opinion.

The_White_Crane:
An opinion is not wrong or right?
So someone could hold the opinion that grass was a bright teal colour, and even though you and everyone else could clearly see that it's green, you wouldn't say they were wrong?

An opinion may not be right or wrong, but that does not make them equal.
If a blind person was asking your opinion on what colour the grass was, whose opinion should be more valued?

The_White_Crane:
An opinion is not wrong or right?
So someone could hold the opinion that grass was a bright teal colour, and even though you and everyone else could clearly see that it's green, you wouldn't say they were wrong?

Yes you have got it precisely. things are NEVER so black and white though. and you then have to take other things into consideration for example that someone could have trouble recognising colours to him it appears teal that does not make him wrong.

TerribleTerryTate:

I understand what you're saying here, but in that case why do people get arrested/frowned upon, when stating their opinions on Religion/Race and other such things in public?
They are only as you are saying yourself being opinionative, so why would it matter.

Because the opinions of others insult those with different opinions. Must people can accept others opinions and feel the need to prove them wrong. Case in point, the console wars.

The_White_Crane:
An opinion is not wrong or right?
So someone could hold the opinion that grass was a bright teal colour, and even though you and everyone else could clearly see that it's green, you wouldn't say they were wrong?

They are not wrong or right. To them (due to mental illnes, colour blindness etc) the grass is teal, this makes the grass teal. To me the grass is green (or borwn maybe), to him the grass is teal. His opinion is different but it is not wrong, to him the grass is teal and that makes the grass teal.

Just because someones opinion is very different to yours and others that does not make it wrong or right.

Fire Daemon:

TerribleTerryTate:

I understand what you're saying here, but in that case why do people get arrested/frowned upon, when stating their opinions on Religion/Race and other such things in public?
They are only as you are saying yourself being opinionative, so why would it matter.

Because the opinions of others insult those with different opinions. Must people can accept others opinions and feel the need to prove them wrong. Case in point, the console wars.

The_White_Crane:
An opinion is not wrong or right?
So someone could hold the opinion that grass was a bright teal colour, and even though you and everyone else could clearly see that it's green, you wouldn't say they were wrong?

They are not wrong or right. To them (due to mental illnes, colour blindness etc) the grass is teal, this makes the grass teal. To me the grass is green (or borwn maybe), to him the grass is teal. His opinion is different but it is not wrong, to him the grass is teal and that makes the grass teal.

Just because someones opinion is very different to yours and others that does not make it wrong or right.

As said above, It may be right or wrong... but that does not make it equal.

I'm not saying that someone's opinion being different to mine makes them wrong, far from it.
In the example of religion, I didn't actually say those opinions were negative. Any opinion on religion/race is frowned upon, and in certain countries you will get arrested for it regardless of whether the opinion is positive/negative.

Whether an opinion is right or wrong has nothing to do with whether it is equal to your own or not. Asking your friend's opinion on a specific problem you are dealing with often means you're unsure on the best way to deal with said problem, or you're interested to know what they think. If they then state that their opinion is completely different to yours, you're still going to value their opinion, as it's a friend's opinion - someone you trust.
If you ask a stranger's opinion, regardless of whether they agree or disagree with you, their opinion doesn't mean as much, as you don't trust them. Therefore, quite simply: opinions are not equal.

I don't really care for the word opinion, or what it means. Obviously we all have them-we all have to have them- but I don't care for weighting which opinion is more valid. In the murky areas that are commonly fought over in debate I've known too many "expert" idiots and too many "uninformed" but correct laymen to give a damn whose opinion is worth more. I simply ask myself who I think is right from their presented arguments; whether one spent more time than the other studying the issue rarely comes up.

For example: For this topic (are opinons equal) i am not saying that MY opinion is right and all other opinions are wrong and inferior. I am saying that if there is a difference in the knowledge / understanding of opinions, then they are not equal.

TerribleTerryTate:

Whether an opinion is right or wrong has nothing to do with whether it is equal to your own or not.

That's it

Well if an opinion is never correct or wrong does that not make all opinions equal?

Saskwach:
I don't really care for the word opinion, or what it means. Obviously we all have them-we all have to have them- but I don't give a damn for weighting which opinion is more valid. In the murky areas that are commonly fought over in debate I've known too many "expert" idiots and too many "uninformed" but correct laymen to give a damn whose opinion is worth more.

This.

Fire Daemon:
Well if an opinion is never correct or wrong does that not make all opinions equal?

Absoultly Not, Take the above example about the war in IRAQ. Whose opinions should be considered 'more' equal?

Quote from 'Animal Farm'
"All animals are equal, however some animals are more equal than others"
(Had to put that in)

TerribleTerryTate:
If you ask a stranger's opinion, regardless of whether they agree or disagree with you, their opinion doesn't mean as much, as you don't trust them. Therefore, quite simply: opinions are not equal.

From that person perspective, yes the opinions are not equal. But from a greater perspective, lets say third person, these opinions are both equal. These two people may share different opinions but from the third person both of these opinions are equal.

They are both equal because as stated an, opinion can not be wrong or correct therefore they must be equal as one cannot say one is more correct than the other.

PS:I was waiting for someone to make that quote :)

Methinks that the better informed person clearly has better foundations to draw his/hers conclusions and so therefore opinions from than a person who well...does not really know what he/she is talking about. In that sense i would say the better informed person like the guy who knows his facts about the iraq war, pretty much does have a 'better' opinion after all if you have your information right then the conclusions you draw from it have a better foundation and are easier to justify,however the other guy is entitled to his own opinion as well just as you said.

I feel people are entitled to their stupid opinions as long as they keep it to themselves. Everyone should really bow in power to a central government and let the GOVT make all the decisions. It's much easier that way.

"Opinion is really the lowest form of human knowledge. It requires no accountability, no understanding. The highest form of knowledge is empathy, for it requires us to suspend our egos and live in another's world. It requires profound, purpose: larger-than-the-self kind of understanding."

--Bill Bullard

So to that end, an Opinion with facts is something more then just an opinion. It's a basis for actual thought and discussion. It's something that the English language doesn't have a word for (that I'm aware of). An Opinion without facts, however, is destructive to most discussions. Especially when it demands equal weight as an Opinion with facts.

Fire Daemon:
They are both equal because as stated an, opinion can not be wrong or correct therefore they must be equal as one cannot say one is more correct than the other.

I personally disagree with that, those with more knowledge of the subject should have their opinions gain more weight because they have the facts and knowledge to back it up. Whose opinion matters more when diagnosing a disease? The doctor who studied medicine for years, or the average non-doctor? The non-doctor can still have his opinion, but without the facts of a checkup, years of experience or basic knowledge of diseases, it should hold less weight then the doctor's.

It is the opinion of this committee that all of your opinions are too opinionated for this opinious thread of opinions and the opinions of those that are opinionated must in my opinion report to the opinion readjustment facility to be reopinionated. IMO >.>

Not all opinions are equal, but everyone is entitled to their opinion. TRUE

No-one is able to determine which opinion is greater or lesser than anyone elses. ALSO TRUE

So, whilst it's logical, it's fuzzy logic at best.

Yan-Yan:
"Opinion is really the lowest form of human knowledge. It requires no accountability, no understanding. The highest form of knowledge is empathy, for it requires us to suspend our egos and live in another's world. It requires profound, purpose: larger-than-the-self kind of understanding."

--Bill Bullard

So to that end, an Opinion with facts is something more then just an opinion. It's a basis for actual thought and discussion. It's something that the English language doesn't have a word for (that I'm aware of). An Opinion without facts, however, is destructive to most discussions. Especially when it demands equal weight as an Opinion with facts.

Fire Daemon:
They are both equal because as stated an, opinion can not be wrong or correct therefore they must be equal as one cannot say one is more correct than the other.

I personally disagree with that, those with more knowledge of the subject should have their opinions gain more weight because they have the facts and knowledge to back it up. Whose opinion matters more when diagnosing a disease? The doctor who studied medicine for years, or the average non-doctor? The non-doctor can still have his opinion, but without the facts of a checkup, years of experience or basic knowledge of diseases, it should hold less weight then the doctor's.

Exactly.

The_root_of_all_evil:
No-one is able to determine which opinion is greater or lesser than anyone elses.

An opinion that is based on fact and experience is worth more than one that is based on a gut feeling.

Johnn Johnston:

The_root_of_all_evil:
No-one is able to determine which opinion is greater or lesser than anyone elses.

An opinion that is based on fact and experience is worth more than one that is based on a gut feeling.

That's your opinion. ;) (Fact and Experience often bring prejudice, Da Vinci wouldn't have got much done just going on Fact and Experience.)

Fact and experience may bring a bias to your opinion, but if you base one on a gut feeling is an opinion that is rooted in a bias. And, point made. You do need a bit of a gut feeling to go along with it.

Exactly. I think (yes, its an opinion) that a person's opinion matters more if they know what they're talking about, that is, if they've researched what they're talking about, know the facts, and have based their opinions around that.

Fire Daemon:

TerribleTerryTate:

I understand what you're saying here, but in that case why do people get arrested/frowned upon, when stating their opinions on Religion/Race and other such things in public?
They are only as you are saying yourself being opinionative, so why would it matter.

Because the opinions of others insult those with different opinions. Must people can accept others opinions and feel the need to prove them wrong. Case in point, the console wars.

The_White_Crane:
An opinion is not wrong or right?
So someone could hold the opinion that grass was a bright teal colour, and even though you and everyone else could clearly see that it's green, you wouldn't say they were wrong?

They are not wrong or right. To them (due to mental illnes, colour blindness etc) the grass is teal, this makes the grass teal. To me the grass is green (or borwn maybe), to him the grass is teal. His opinion is different but it is not wrong, to him the grass is teal and that makes the grass teal.

Just because someones opinion is very different to yours and others that does not make it wrong or right.

But this is beside the point of the original post.

A more correct version would be that you, who live out in the nature says that grass is one colour. Your friend, who has never seen grass, states that grass is another colour, because that's what your friend has been told.

Your friend's opinion is not wrong, per se, just misinformed. And as such worth less. If these are all variables.

And yes, I agree that not all opinions are equal. I also think it's awful that people with no idea what they are talking about are allowed to decide upon such matters, but I guess that's the way of democracy. Personally, I would want to see a test issued to see how knowledgable people were on each and every subject before given the right to vote. As it is now we can have a charismatic politician with absolutely no idea whatsoever about what he/she is doing, and one person with no interpersonal skills and a tremendous knowledge of the subject at hand. If it's an obscure subject (or anything really, people know less than they think) then people are going to vote for the charismatic fellow, without any idea of the consequences. I think that should replace age limits for voting, since age and maturity don't always have a connection.

Edit: Oops... Guess I shouldn't leave topics open before going to watch a play. Seems a lot of people posted afterwards, well, it still bears relevance.

Opinion is a very tricky word. Your example (about someone being informed and someone not) is not really all that solid. Just because one is informed doesn't mean he's right, as it is stating an opinion and not purely stating facts (as well as being speculative), so he could easily be a cruel and bigoted person.

Equal is a very tricky word. I don't think it can be used to define an opinion. You could say "this opinion is more rooted in fact" but that doesn't necessarily mean even the most basic thing, as someone could know a lot about one part of the problem and not the whole picture, and the statement wouldn't necessarily be truth unless you framed it "in my opinion this opinion is more rooted in truth". Even if we ignore what is true, and base things on our own judgments, equality is not a measure of something. Validity perhaps?

In a nutshell: This point is moot. An opinion can not be equal or unequal... in my opinion.

You're right Larenxis. Sometimes contrary opinions can both be correct based off of the same facts, changing only in how individuals interpret those facts. For example, Global Warming. The same evidence that is used to "prove it's existence" is the same evidence that is used to "disprove it's existence". They are both grounded in fact, they are conflicting and indeed opposing opinions, but they are both right. I would consider that an example of when opinions are equal. Of course, they are only equal because there is a lack of information and facts that can be used to prove one opinion as correct. So equality of opinions comes from a lack of information sufficient to prove one as ultimately right.

You're also right in that just because someone is more informed, that does not make their opinion right. The ill informed individual could be right through even the most basic of knowledge (dude, i think your arm is broke) while those who are supposedly informed could be wrong (We believe it's just a sprain, you'll be fine). But for the most part, those with more information on the topic can make a more informed opinion, which has a much higher chance of being right.

Whose opinion is more or less equal is itself an opinion. It is my opinion that, in your example, the person with the facts has a better opinion - but then, one could be using the fact that people in the Middle East are poorer than the West, on average, thus white people are better. Opinion based in fact - still complete BS, in my opinion.

Ultimately, we need to change the terms 'opinion' and 'equal' for any of this to mean anything.