“False facts are highly injurious to the progress of science, for they often endure long; but false views, if supported by some evidence, do little harm, for everyone takes a salutary pleasure in proving their falseness; and when this is done, one path towards error is closed and the road to truth is often at the same time opened.”

ok maybe, sometimes.

As on this site when some views concerning the understanding of terms like majority rule and democracy were accepted by some who had previously eschewed such notions.

Waff, you better be careful of that "majority rules" stuff. The majority ruled in Salem and folks were burned at the stake.

False fact is an oxymoron.

Five stars to you Bryan. I had a similar thoght but did not post it.

Excellent Charles - well said - fact is synonymous with what is thought to be true so fact is in the mind of the beholder so I can say your view of facts is false because my view is correct. O dear, O dear, O dear.... and by the way the Constitution protects us against majority rule that's why they (the Republicans) are trying to destroy it.

Sorry, Robert. Words have meanings. Something that is thought to be true is an hypothosis. Something that is thought to be true and is supported by some data (or facts) is a theory. There are no false facts but I do think I know what he is talking about. As long as the scientific debate is not stifled, eventually a false theory will be exposed. The problem is too many will use the power of government and their hand picked 'scientists on the take' to bribe or brow beat dissenting scientists into submission (for that all important government grant, their livelihood). If that is allowed to happen the lie will not be exposed. That is the consequence of nationalized science............. Pronunciation: \ˈfakt\ Function: noun Etymology: Latin factum, from neuter of factus, past participle of facere Date: 15th century 1: a thing done: as obsolete : feat b: crime archaic : action 2 archaic : performance, doing 3: the quality of being actual : actuality 4 a: something that has actual existence b: an actual occurrence 5: a piece of information presented as having objective reality— in fact: in truth

Ken, who is the final authority and arbiter of fact? pray tell me.

Darwin and his false facts did as he predicted cause blood bath across Europe. Stalin and Adolph Hitler took Darwin's theory to heart, and Adolph tried to help the theory out by deciding for nature which was the fittest to survive. The only theory that has caused more death and destruction in this world was the one that an environmental socialist came up with about DDT weakening the eggs of the Osprey. That one cost Africa over 80 million deaths due to unnecessary malaria outbreaks that could have been avoided had the inexpensive DDT been allowed to be used. It has since been found that the Osprey has always had a problem with thin egg shells and the so called Scientist that used it as evidence against DDT knew it. False facts. They kill.

By the way malaria is now disappearing off in parts of Africa because some of the countries there have decided to defy the ban and started to use DDT again.

Darwin used facts to support his 'view.' Evolution was/is a theory -- Darwin never said otherwise. Global warming is a fact, the cause of which is theory. People's view of scientific theories should always be held in that context -- theoretical. warren is right about DDT -- depopulation is an agenda of globalists, and millions of Africans and other third world populations have been sold a bill of goods in order to depopulate them. (And DDT is used in the US in many mosquito-rich areas like Florida.)

Robert: Facts (I am speaking as "data") are readily observed and repeatable and can be observed by anyone at any time. If I say the sky is blue and you say it is green, then we have a disagreement because we have obviously not standardized our method and observation. If we agree on a method and standard definition then we can say that at noon the light that passes through our atmosphere to our eyes and is not scattered predominates from 455-492 nm. We come to an agreement ahead of time by agreeing to a method of observation and the parameters of the observation and then accepting the facts that we observe.

From Free Republic Forum: Darwin:"Blacks are Not Human but a different species close to Apes and Chimps" US Scientists: ■Blacks are only 2/5 Human, basically just talking Apes■ Mayo Clinic Secret Report: ■Blacks DNA contains Cannibalism, violence, rape and murder■ Blacks are predators, they murder 135,000 White Humans per year in the US alone. Here is proof of the above: Our Jails are full of Blacks.!! Teach this facts to Your women and Children it might save their lives! Whites must not donate ro black causes but only to White charities. White Civilization must rule and In order to survive we must not allow our women to mate with Black apes. African Sub Human Predators must no be allowed near our women or our Children.

@ John Frost,
You're right. But I live in a White community and there is NOT a day where I don't see little White boys and girls being strollered by Nigger Ape savage niggresses....

False fact?

First, there is reality, i.e. 'what is so.'  Although reality is ever-present, we do not necessarily perceive it, understand it or know it.

The Earth exists.  How it came into existence we do not know because there was no one to observe it, as far as we know.  So we theorize about it based upon whatever information we may discover — I say discover because reality already exists, it is up to us to discover or realize what is so.

The search for the truth requires telling the truth, i.e. being factual in our witnessing of what is so.  People pass on what they know from generation to generation, and to the degree that information is factually true, we may use it as a basis for understanding further, and passing along that information.

The important key to discovering the 'truth' is to be truthful in the dissemination of information as theory, opinion, or observed phenomena.  When belief or opinion is treated as fact, anything built upon that information loses its foundation.

Man-made climate change is a theory a best, a lie at worst.  Evolution is a theory, often contradicted by observable facts like human skeletons millions of years old.  Of course carbon-dating cannot always be used as a measure of something's age.  Scientific analysis is often incorrect, so not to be treated as fact but as a hypothesis, which may in fact be true, but yet to be observed consistently. 

It's not so much 'what is' that is misunderstood but the reasons given for its existence.  When it rains, we can say it is raining, and that is a fact.  WHY it is raining is a theory.

One of the cardinal sins is 'bearing false witness,' that is to say lying about something observed.  Thus one starts down the dusty road of delusion, leading people astray — usually to gain power or fame, at the expense of the deceived.

How to discern what is true?  That is the job of each of us, and then to listen to the response.  Honest dialogue leads to truth.