ShmoopTube

00:04

[Coop and Dino singing]

00:13

This is Salvador Dali, famous painter, and owner of a particularly rockin' 'stache. [Picture of Salvador Dali with a cat]

00:18

Dali painted many famous paintings throughout his career, including this one called “The Elephants.”

00:23

Now, one person might say this painting is amazing.

00:26

Another might say it’s weird. [Dali painting and man appears at the window]

00:28

Another might say it's funny.

00:29

And guess what?

00:30

They'd all be right.

00:31

Why?

00:31

Because all of those things are opinions.

00:34

So what exactly is the difference between a fact and an opinion? [Venn diagram of facts and opinions]

00:37

Well, some might say that “a fact is something true and an opinion is a feeling.”

00:42

And, sure, an opinion is a feeling, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be true.

00:46

If everyone at a birthday party agrees that the cake is delicious, who's to say that isn't [People gathered at a birthday party discussing the cake]

00:50

true – even though that’s their opinion?

00:52

Instead, the difference between a fact and an opinion is that a fact is a truth supported

00:57

by concrete evidence.

00:58

And no, we’re not talking about cement here. [Man laying cement]

01:01

Concrete evidence is something that is often proven with science, historical data, numbers, and math.

01:07

For example, it’s a fact that all triangles have three sides and all rectangles have four. [Triangle and rectangle drawn on chalkboard]

01:12

Them’s the rules, backed up by a whole lot of math.

01:15

No matter how much you insist otherwise, it’s still true.

01:18

So while it's most certainly a fact that Salvador Dali is a painter, saying he's a good painter

01:24

is a matter of opinion.

01:25

And one important thing to remember is that opinions can change. [Man inspecting Dali's painting]

01:28

So while you might look at The Elephants and think that Dali’s not a very good painter,

01:32

you might later discover his other famous paintings...

01:35

And realize that he’s actually your favorite painter ever. [Man reading Dali painting collection book]

01:37

Nifty.

01:38

Hey, how do you think we would look with that mustache? [Girl puts mustache on her lip and looks in mirror]

01:41

…you don’t like it?

01:42

Well, whatever, that’s just your opinion.

Full Transcript