"Everyone is entitled to their opinion." You've probably heard this expression, perhaps you’ve said it yourself. I know I have. It's sometimes framed as, "Let's agree to disagree." But I recently read something by philosopher Patrick Stokes which challenged this.
Stokes explains that "I'm entitled/have a right to my opinion" is a logical fallacy used to discredit any opposition. It becomes shorthand for “I can say or think whatever I like” – and by extension, continuing to argue is somehow disrespectful. This feeds into the false equivalence between experts and non-experts.
Unlike Stokes, I do believe that you are entitled to an opinion of your own. This is referred to as Freedom of Thought. But I also believe that not everyone’s opinions are as equally valid. Over time, I think we’ve conflated two concepts. For example, Stokes posits, "You are not entitled to your opinion. This implies an equal right to be heard on a matter in which only one of the two parties has the relevant expertise. You are only entitled to what you can argue for."
Let’s work this through by way of an example: You own a car and it starts making a rattling sound. You take it to a qualified mechanic who tells you there is a problem with the radiator. Along comes me. I don't really know much about cars. I tell you I think the rattling has something to do with your brakes. You now have two opinions. Is my opinion just as valid as the mechanic's?
I’m entitled to think it’s your brakes, but that doesn’t make my opinion as valid as the mechanic’s because I have no expertise in this area. In matters of taste or personal preference, everyone is entitled to an opinion. But in some realms, expertise or training is necessary for an opinion to have any weight.
In a culture that tells us that everyone’s opinion matters, some mistake this idea as meaning that everyone’s opinion matters all the time, even if it is uninformed or misinformed. Whether one has a particular entitlement or right is irrelevant to whether one's assertion is true or false.
You can respect people's inalienable right to think and believe as they wish. But you can also dismantle this fallacy that all opinions are equal and valid.