Opinions--Scientific and Political

In the literature of general semantics, we find a lot of encouragement to adopt the scientific method in our daily lives. Scientists look for facts and try to adapt their opinions about the world to accurately reflect the world as they find it. Following the same practice in daily life may give us a better handle on what might happen in a given situation. This in turn might reduce the effect of unexpected shocks that we might have expected if we held more closely to facts.

We might ruin our chances for a career in politics, however, as Jon Carroll of the San Francisco Chronicle points out in this vintage article on fact and opinion.
The Problem With New Data