ENGL302 Advanced Research Writing and Presenting Week 2 Lecture Researching Controversial Topics Lesson 1 Opinion vs Argument As you begin forming ideas for a persuasive argument or assignment it s important to consider how the terms opinion and argument might differ when trying to use persuasion For the purposes of our lecture and persuasive arguments in general consider opinion to be a view or judgment formed about something not necessarily based on fact or knowledge Opinion On the other hand argument can be defined as a reason or set of reasons given with the aim of persuading others that an action or idea is right or wrong Argument As you work through this week s lessons be sure to keep these two concepts in mind Identifying Opinions and Arguments To help differentiate between opinion and argument let s look at some examples of each Here are some scenarios which could be considered opinion Telling a friend pineapple doesn t belong on pizza because it s gross Arguing that the Boston Red Sox is the best baseball team Saying that socialism is better than capitalism just because Believing blue is the best color In their current formats these statements are all opinion because they do not have any concrete facts to back them up As they stand there is not really even much information on why the stance is chosen You are probably pretty familiar with opinions and likely have a few of your own On the other side you have arguments Some examples of an argument might be The Boston Red Sox are a good baseball team because they have won the World Series Socialism is a better economic system because it would allow for greater income equality Climate change is a serious issue because it has caused carbon dioxide levels to raise and nine times and universal health care the global temperature to rise Nature conservation is important because there are 16 306 plants and animals listed as endangered and threatened with extinction ENGL302 Week 2 Lecture 2 As you can see there are some big differences between opinion and argument Let s break it down Opinion Argument conclusion Often subjective and personal in nature Involves research and reasoning to reach a Does not include specific details or require a Gives facts and includes specifics to boost the When discussing opinions conversations can When using argument skills a debate is lot of information get heated and loud credibility of the argument controlled and calm Discussions using opinion often involve impulses and insticntive reactions Argument relies on preparation to determine reasons and get evidence One of the easiest ways to differentiate argument from opinion is to look for the use of facts Unlike a subjective opinion a fact is objective it is something based on research data and observation This video Distinguishing Fact From Opinion by Snap Language 7 39 in length can help you learn how to separate fact from opinion As you watch keep these question in mind Can opinions be verified How can you identify a grey area in opinion and argument Whose responsibility is it to verify information Distinguishing fact from opinion Hopefully this video has helped you understand the differences between fact and opinion and how you can recognize them yourself An opinion cannot be fact checked or verified through research This is a good indicator of opinion if you are stuck in a grey area try to verify the information being presented If you cannot find a clear credible answer it s probably not fact Your audience will be responsible for verifying the information you provide Remember the more information you have to back something up the more credible and believeable it will seem This will help you make headway if your goal is to persuade someone to see your side of things or agree with your argument Why Aren t Opinions Credible Now that we ve seen the differences between opinion and argument as well as how to differentiate opinion from fact it s time to discuss why opinions should not be used in a persuasive argument Consider the following reasons before you rely on your opinion and make sure to consider how you can counteract these points by using argument skills instead ENGL302 Week 2 Lecture 3 1 An opinion cannot be fact checked or verified If you try to research an opinion to fact check it you will likely find a variety of different answers and no concrete information For example say someone tells you blue is the best color there is If you look that up are you going to see research that backs this up No You will probably see some people who agree but you will also see that there are a lot of people who have different favorite colors and claim that color is best for personal or subjective reasons 2 An opinion can change over time and on a whim While someone may have an opinion they feel very strongly about other opinions can be changed overnight Using a color as an example again a person s favorite color can change several times over the course of their life On the other hand when you are using argument skills you are using facts incontrovertible and unchangeable 3 An opinion only focuses on one person s viewpoint An opinion is someone s personal view or judgement Because of this they cannot be credible Credibility comes from someone who is qualified unbias and educated on a specific subject or topic It may also require research from multiple parties to ensure accuracy Because an opinion revolves around one person and their beliefs it lacks credibility When writing about a controversial issue you may already have an opinion on the side you chose It s fine to have an opinion Just remember that when you are trying to persuade someone your opinion does not mean much If you really want to persuade your audience you must use your argumentative skills to back up your claims ENGL302 Week 2 Lecture Check Your Knowledge 1 True False Quiz 4 1 Opinions can be verified with research False 2 Arguments use research data observations and facts True 3 It is the audience s responsibility to verify information True 4 The more information you present the weaker your argument gets False Lesson 2 The Importance of Research Now that the difference between opinion and argument is clear you should be ready to find facts that will help you argue for your side To show your reasoning and successfully persuade your audience credible information will be required to move your stance from an opinion to an argument To find this credible information you ll need to conduct research