Is someone entitled to hold a 'wrong' opinion

randombassist

It seems to me that a lot of recent history in the Western world has revolved around major charachters such as Hitler and Stalin who have taken decisions that we deem to be morally wrong, resulting in death and carnage. However, the other major strand that we've had in recent times is the move towards free speech, and everyone's fundamental entitlement to hold their own opinions.

So what about when these two areas come into conflict? where someone holds an opinion that is deemed to be 'wrong' by wider society - perhaps neo- nazis would be a good example of this in the modern world. People who's values very much go against what the vast majority of a population holds as the truth - everyone's right to be treated equally etc.

Are they in this case abusing their right to free speech, or just exorcising it. And should we be allowed to try people for expressing these opinions?

what are your thoughts?!

RagShagBill

It is a human right to hold and use free-speech, but as the French say: Ma liberte s'arrte avec toi, or My liberte stops where yours begin. It is ok to hold an opinion, but the right to life and other such rights are, perhaps unofficially, deemed more important, more fundamental.

Playboy

Every opinion or idea was wrong at some stage.

bonkey

You seem to be asking two questions...

- can someone hold a "wrong" opinion.

Absolutely.

- can they then act on this opinion, through the exercise of other rights.

By definition, of course they can...otherwise they things they exercise wouldn't be rights. However, if they infringe on the rights of others in the use of their own, they can and should be held accountable.

And lets not forget....all of our Human Rights are simply aspirational. I don't think there's a single one of them thats actually held in inviolable regard.

blearyboy

No idea can ever be wrong. An idea can be:

a) Intellectually dishonest or
b) In breach of certain moral codes (which would apply to most neo-Nazi's)

However, any idea which avoids these two pitfalls cannot be described as being "wrong". It's just incomplete.

nesf

blearyboy wrote:

No idea can ever be wrong. An idea can be:

a) Intellectually dishonest or
b) In breach of certain moral codes (which would apply to most neo-Nazi's)

However, any idea which avoids these two pitfalls cannot be described as being "wrong". It's just incomplete.

First off, welcome mate, cheers for taking up on my request

Now, some fun...

To horribly misphrase and mangle the thinking of many great minds...

Any opinion can only "seem" more wrong in relation to another. If given two conflicting answers to a problem, people tend to take one and decide on it as being "more correct" than the other one. This doesn't necessarily mean the other one is wrong, that is a common misconception.

There is no question, moral, ethical, political or otherwise that benifits from the exclusion of consideration and argument of one of it's conflicting sides. People like to think in black and white, "in the box" so to speak. People have a tendency to form opinions based only on a subset of the facts and influenced only by the factors that support their opinion.


Holding a "wrong opinion" is a misconception. A responsible person will argue the point of view that is being neglected not necessarily the point of view they personally agree with.

In public debate, there is a tendency for people just to argue their feelings and not to argue the actual merits of the question and it's possible answers. The idea that your opinion is right and that other opinions are wrong is a product of absolute moral pre-judgement by people with an "agenda" in many cases.


Ask yourself this next time you're arguing with someone you disagree with fundamentally. Are they arguing with you because they think you're wrong or are they arguing with you because you haven't opened your mind enough to take a look at the matter in question from other angles other than your own personal feelings?


Oh and if you disagree with the above, I'm an open-minded and tolerant person, so I can see where you are coming from. But you are still wrong.