Learn English – Does a “fact” have to be true

ambiguitymeaning

I'm struggling to decide whether to jettison use of the word fact, because the definition appears to be not solid enough to support continued usage. What do I mean by that? Look at one "meaning ladder" (taken from Random House via TFD Online) among several on the same page:

fact

  1. something that actually exists: Your fears have no basis in fact.
  2. something known to exist or to have happened.
  3. a truth known by actual experience or observation; something known to be true.
  4. something said to be true or supposed to have happened.
  5. an actual or alleged event or circumstance, as distinguished from its legal effect or consequence.

This definition marches us from something that exists to something that is merely supposed to be true to something that may be "actual or alleged." (And yes, I am aware that dictionaries don't dictate the meanings of words; they record meanings from usages. And the meanings of this word as it is used and recorded in English seem to be antagonistic toward each other.)

What are we to do with all this? Does a fact require the modifier true to be judged genuine? When we preface a statement with "in fact" don't we mean What follows is the truth? The aforementioned dictionary certainly thinks so:

in fact, in truth; really; indeed: They are, in fact, great patriots.

Here fact and truth are equated absolutely. So I'm wondering: how do we distinguish between what is a fact in the sense of absolute truth and what is a fact of a lesser order? Other words can have many shades of meaning, but this one seems somehow like it shouldn't. So if I hear the word fact without hearing true before it, does it even deserve the term?

A cautionary note

I'm not really looking for a discussion of truth in the philosophical sense. The scope of this question is limited to the meaning of a word in English, not the meaning of an absolute concept as rational beings can or should understand it. What I'm really after, as I mentioned in a comment, is whether the adulteration of this particular word renders it, ultimately, meaningless, and therefore something to be avoided.

In conclusion, I offer this quote from Howard K. Zinn, from his Afterword to A People's History of the United States:

But there is no such thing as a pure fact, innocent of interpretation. Behind
every fact presented to the world—by a teacher, a writer, anyone—is a
judgment. The judgment that has been made is that this fact is important, and
that other facts, omitted, are not important

Best Answer

A fact does, in fact, have to be the truth at the time you're using the word.

By 'truth', I mean something you believe to be true (due to any of several possible reasons).¹

Consider: "The number of planets in the solar system is eight." A few years ago, this was not a fact. It is now. (Just an example, don't attack the example.)

[EDIT: Before 1917, people thought it to be a fact that the atom was the smallest particle of matter. Today, it is a fact that it isn't, and we were wrong in thinking it was... I'm including this example to show that in light of the new fact, what we thought was a fact previously, can be rendered untrue for that time too; something @Jay pointed out my previous example didn't specify]

When a jury convicts a man, it's a fact that he's guilty. If he's later acquitted, it's a fact that he is 'not guilty'. (As far as the public is concerned. Individuals who actually saw the crime might know, for a fact, whether it's true or not)

What I'm trying to say is that the word fact is used for what you know (or sincerely believe) to be the truth or what is widely believed to be the truth at the time of speaking. Facts are subject to change.

Something is not a fact if you know/believe it to be untrue or if it can be easily be shown to not be widely believed at the time.

The two can contradict. That's when myth comes into play.

Tom: "Interesting fact: you can see the Great Wall of China from space." (Widely believed).

Neil: "As a matter of fact, you can't. That's a myth." (I went to space. I know better.)

¹ Please note that I'm talking exclusively about the cases where you use the word fact. In those cases, I infer you strongly believe it to be true.

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