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Question Is it possible for two people to have a different "worldview" while not disagreeing on any particular fact?

Accepted:
January 28, 2010

Comments

The answer to your question will depend on what counts as a fact.

Certainly it is possible for people to observe the same state of affairs while reacting to it differently. You observe the same wallpaper as I do, but you like it while I hate it. Or we both observe the same behavior on the part of a friend, but you find it wierd while I find it normal.

On the other hand, if the likability of the wallpaper is itself a fact that you (alledgedly) observe, then you and I do disagree about the facts when I find it hateful. Likewise, if the wierdness of a friend's behavior counts as a fact.

Rather than argue over what counts as a fact, it is probably best to recognize that different people will focus on different facts (without disputing the facts that others focus on), and that different people will value the same facts in different ways (without disputing others' descriptions of what they value). This does not mean that our focus of attention or our valuation is purely subjective, or that attention and valuation are not themselves matters for rational dispute; it only means that it is often useful to distinguish between the facts that people agree on and the ways in which they approach these facts differently.

Question Is it possible for two people to have a different "worldview" while not disagreeing on any particular fact? Accepted:January 28, 2010

Question Is it possible for two people to have a different "worldview" while not disagreeing on any particular fact?

Accepted:
January 28, 2010