Overview

In this brilliant analysis of the role of language in confrontation, Timothy J Cooney asks 'Who would go to war under the banner, 'We believe we may be right' or 'In my opinion God is on our side'? Most people will passionately defend what they believe to be true - whether it's true or not. We state what we believe to be true in what Cooney calls the bold, declarative form. Instead of saying, 'It is true that the world is round!' we just say 'The world is round!' and the form implies that our message is true. Unfortunately, the easiest thing in the world is to take what is actually an opinion and put it in a declarative form. One need only drop the first three words of the message 'In my opinion there is other life in the universe' to demonstrate how meaning can shift dramatically.But it is still an opinion, despite its form; it is what Cooney calls a 'phony declarative' or 'an opinion masquerading as truth', and he illustrates that if phonies were recognised for the opinions they actually are, many a heated public debate would be exposed as word play. The distinction between truth and opinion is much more than an exercise for those who enjoy unravelling the distortions of language; it has become a matter of life and death in a world that is crowded, polluted, obsessed with religion, and armed-to-the-teeth.Opinion, recognised and expressed as such, generates little fury; but if opinion is believed to be truth and expressed in the bold, declarative form, it can drive us to distraction - and destruction. If we refer to our opinions as opinions, we can develop a more relaxed attitude toward our fellow human beings, even as we also (by the way we express ourselves) undermine the grip of dogma on the minds of others. But in order to put our opinions in their proper form, we must first be able to recognise the difference between truth and opinion, and this is no easy task. Cooney patiently and precisely opens up the background arguments of various messages expressed in the bold, declarative form, demonstrating which of them are true and why - and which are matters of opinion.

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