Philosophy - You do not have a right to your own opinions!

[DTLarca]

I think what most people really mean when they say they have a right to their opinion is that they have a right to express their opinion... but then, that's just my opinion.

If they did it would be an irrelevant, and as good as random, change of subject to ones rights from whatever the topic at hand was.

Imagine two people debating over whether we should or should not colonise mars - then suddenly one of them says "I have a right to my opinion". What on earth would such a right have to do with the topic at hand? Why do they not instead say "Well, whales are bigger than fish" or "Henry the 8th had more than one wife in his life". Yes, we know you have a right to your opinion - that is why you were invited to discuss the colonisation of mars in the first place - why don't you say "Well, I am about to take my next breath?" - sure you can take another breath - we're not charging you for the air - please can we get on with the topic at hand - stop arbitrarily changing the subject to these irrelevancies.


In fact you'll find that people only invoke the right just at the moment when they receive evidence and argument that their opinion may very well be wrong. And so what they say is different from what they intentionally imply - what they imply is that "I still have a right to consider my opinion right and for you to leave open the possibility that it is right". But then fine - so what - let's get on with the discussion and discover whether it is indeed true or indeed false or a good argument or a poor argument overshadowed by any better arguments.