Fact and Opinion - Shame on you Neil deGrasse Tyson

"The good thing about science is that it is true whether you believe it or not" - Neil deGrasse Tyson 

This is a little offensive. The more appropriate quote should be 

"The good thing about a Fact is that it is true whether you believe it or not"

I agree this is a characteristic of a Fact. What bother's me is Neil's rather overt assertion that science equals fact. Neil's statement is really Neil's opinion presented as a fact.  And to claim that all things scientific should be considered fact is a rather bold ASSERTION, something that ironically is not very scientific. 

(Science isn't even a "thing" whose veracity can be tested.  It is a way of doing things, a process for the careful observation and testing of theories, in the hopes of identifying a fact.  But now i'm just being nit picky about his choice of words.)

I'm actually bothered in general by the liberal use of the word Fact to describe things that really are debatable.  What we need is a little more clarity on the definition of a Fact, and less about the characteristics of a Fact.

Here are some "Facts" that have been presented to me of late:
1) Everything Scientific is factual
2) Global warming is Man made
3) Being a stay at home mom is better for your kids than being a working mom
4) Openly carrying a weapon is unsafe
5) People are inherently misogynistic, racist, and discriminatory
6) Vaccines cause autism 

I'm not here to debate any of these "facts" that isn't the point of this post.  The point is that people are very liberal in their use of the word Fact and then have the audacity to defend these "facts" by using Neil's assertion.  Basically saying that they are true whether the person they are debating with believes them or not.  Like that is the end of the discussion.

Dictonary.com defines fact in 5 ways, but i'm only going to list the first one: 
1) something that actually exists; reality; truth: 

To claim something is a Fact is to claim objective reality.  People may not realize how BOLD of a claim this is.  This is big time.  You are essentially claiming that what you are saying is irrefutable, that there is no possible valid argument against it, that this is a true description of reality.  That regardless of your beliefs or values to the contrary you must acknowledge this Fact.  This Fact can have potentially life changing implications.  Some people realize this when they proclaim a fact, but others do so without any regard.

So, first of all, understand what you are claiming.  

Second, if you claiming a fact, be responsible and actually have real evidence to support this "fact". Give some actual thought to how you are going to prove your "fact" and make sure it is legit. Because asking people to change their view of reality is no small ask, and doing so flippantly is highly irresponsible and potentially dangerous.  You may need to take responsibility for some of the fallout that this fact may cause.  Understanding of reality affects every part of our lives.

Third, the inverse of the above quote is also true: 

"Just because you believe something doesn't make it factual or not factual."  

Don't use your belief, or other's, as evidence of your "fact"  Beliefs aren't always based on or affected by Facts.  Do use the sciences, the legal system, and historical research to help uncover facts.  You should feel OBLIGATED to do so.

In conclusion, if you don't have the backing to call your statement a Fact, then just call it what it is, an opinion.  It isn't as pretentious as claiming a fact, and requires a lot less research.  It shows some humility and has the pleasant side affect of not fucking with people's reality. And people get violently defensive about their reality.


On a different but related point beliefs/opinions can be just as powerful and life changing as Facts, but they aren't as concrete.  We have two different words for a reason.  Use them correctly.