Fact
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see
Fact (disambiguation).
A
fact (derived from the
Latin Factum, see below) is something that has really occurred or is actually the case. The usual test for a statement of fact is verifiability, that is whether it can be shown to correspond to
experience. Standard reference works are often used to check facts.
Scientific facts are verified by repeatable
experiments.
[edit] Etymology and usage
The word
fact derives from the Latin
Factum, and was first used in English with the same meaning: "a thing done or performed", a use that is now obsolete.
[1] The common usage of "something that has really occurred or is the case" dates from the middle of the sixteenth century.
[2]
Fact is sometimes used synonymously with
truth, as distinct from opinions, falsehoods, or matters of taste. This use is found in such phrases as,
It is a fact that the cup is red or
Matter of fact,
[3] and "... not history, nor fact, but imagination."
Fact also indicates a
matter under discussion deemed to be true or correct, such as to emphasize a point or prove a disputed issue; (e.g., "... the
fact of the matter is ...").
[4][5]
Alternatively,
fact may also indicate an
allegation or stipulation of something that may or may not be a "true fact",
[6] (e.g., "the author's facts are not trustworthy"). This alternate usage, although contested by some, has a long history in standard English.
[7]
Fact may also indicate findings derived through a
process of evaluation, including review of testimony, direct observation, or otherwise; as distinguishable from matters of inference or speculation.
[8] This use is reflected in the terms "fact-find" and "fact-finder" (e.g., "set up a fact-finding commission").
[9]
Facts may be checked by reason, experiment, personal experience, or may be
argued from
authority.
Roger Bacon wrote "If in other sciences we should arrive at certainty without doubt and truth without error, it behooves us to place the foundations of knowledge in mathematics."
[10]
[edit] Fact in philosophy
In
philosophy, the concept
fact is considered in
epistemology and
ontology. Questions of
objectivity and
truth are closely associated with questions of fact. A "fact" can be defined as something which is the case, that is, a state of affairs.
[11][12]
Facts may be understood as that which makes a true sentence true.
[13] Facts may also be understood as those things to which a true sentence refers. The statement "Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system" is
about the fact Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system.
[14]
Misunderstanding of the difference between fact and theory sometimes leads to fallacy in rhetoric,
[citation needed] in which one person will say his or her claim is factual whereas the opponent's claim is just theory. Such statements indicate confusion as to the meanings of both words, suggesting the speaker believes that
fact means "truth," and
theory means "speculation."
[dubious – discuss]
[edit] Correspondence and the slingshot argument
Some versions of the
correspondence theory of truth hold that what makes a sentence true is that it
corresponds to a fact.
[15] This theory presupposes the existence of an
objective world.
The
Slingshot argument claims to show that all true statements stand for the same thing - the
truth value true. If this argument holds, and facts are taken to be what true statements stand for, then we reach the counter-intuitive conclusion that there is only one fact - "the truth".
[16]
[edit] Compound facts
Any non-trivial true statement about reality is necessarily an
abstraction composed of a complex of
objects and
properties or
relations.
[17] For example, the fact described by the true statement "
Paris is the
capital city of
France" implies that there is such a place as Paris, there is such a place as France, there are such things as capital cities, as well as that France has a government, that the government of France has the power to define its capital city, and that the French government has chosen Paris to be the capital, that there is such a thing as a "place" or a "government", etc.. The verifiable accuracy of all of these assertions, if facts themselves, may coincide to create the fact that Paris is the capital of France.
Difficulties arise, however, in attempting to identify the constituent parts of
negative,
modal,
disjunctive, or
moral facts.
[18]
[edit] Fact in law
Further information:
Evidence (law) and
Trier of fact
In most
common law jurisdictions,
[29] the general concept and analysis of fact reflects fundamental principles of
Jurisprudence, and is supported by several well-established standards.
[30][31] Matters of fact have various formal definitions under common law jurisdictions.
These include:
[edit] Legal pleadings
Main article:
Pleading
A
party to a
civil suit generally must clearly state all relevant allegations of fact upon which a
claim is based. The requisite level of precision and particularity of these allegations varies depending on the rules of
civil procedure as well as the jurisdiction. Parties who face uncertainties regarding the facts and circumstances attendant to their side in a dispute may sometimes invoke
alternative pleading.
[37] In this situation, a party may plead separate sets of facts that (when considered together) may be contradictory or mutually exclusive. This (seemingly) logically-inconsistent presentation of facts may be necessary as a safeguard against contingencies (such as
res judicata) that would otherwise preclude presenting a claim or defense that depends on a particular interpretation of the underlying facts.
[38]
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