Imagine a discussion where you disagree with your colleague. What do you disagree on? The facts or the opinions?
We often confuse facts with opinions when forming conclusions, yet this distinction is crucial to understanding the strength of our arguments
A fact it is not something that can be disagreed with—unless it is proven false, which, by definition makes it not a fact any longer.
An opinion, on the other hand, is completely outside the scientific realm (although often just as important). It is a subjective assessment of something and it is also grounded in facts or perceptions.
"You can have your own opinions, but you cannot have your own facts." -Barack Obama
Now, the key difference between opinions and facts is something that is rarely discussed:
The value of an opinion depends on who expresses such opinion.
The value of a fact is based on the fact itself, irrespective of who expresses it.
Which brings us to another important question:
When should one prioritize facts, and when should one prioritize opinions?
As I see it, there is no way to answer this question clearly. It depends. However, answering it clearly is not even the most important point.
What matters most is clarity in recognizing whether you’re relying on an opinion or a fact.
That is the important distinction if the goal is to be able to think a bit more clearly.
"If we have data, let’s look at data. If all we have are opinions, let’s go with mine." -Jim Barksdale
When should opinions be used as the main decisive factor?
In short: for situations where taste is the main factor.
These are situations where opinions are the main point, and then the only unknown becomes to discover whose opinions (or taste) are the most valuable one given the topic.
And this is the main catch here; not all opinions carry the same weight for a given topic.
While someone might have impeccable design taste, the other person might be much more qualified on engineering matters and so, opinions must be weighed up against who is the opinion holder.