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General Category => Ask the Experts => Topic started by: Tavasco on July 28, 2017, 01:22:01 AM

Title: Thank You
Post by: Tavasco on July 28, 2017, 01:22:01 AM
I\'d like to thank TGJB and also some other contributors for his/their assistance in my/our learning to recognize assertions. Without JB\'s repeated expose\'s of posts that were assertions, I/we would still be laboring in a subjective quagmire of ignorance and emotion rather than crawling toward objectivity and comprehension.

A couple of days ago I tried twitter for the first time. While I must say I don\'t yet understand it\'s features and functions. I was surprised to see so many assertions posted. I felt a bit like a neophyte Shaolin priest a no belt so to speak (lesson one - blocking). I can now block the effect of an assertion.

There is much more that I apprciate here and it may seem a minor thing, But the ability to recognize the relevant thru the fog of distraction is very useful to me these days - so again a sincere thanks!
Title: Re: Thank You
Post by: TGJB on July 28, 2017, 08:19:25 AM
Which brings us to a certain \"news\" network I\'ve been watching recently in an effort to understand...
Title: Re: Thank You
Post by: jbelfior on July 28, 2017, 08:38:53 AM
Would you agree that \"assertions\" are opinions that may or may not be supported by quantitative facts?


Good Luck,
Joe B
Title: Re: Thank You
Post by: TGJB on July 28, 2017, 09:18:06 AM
You\'re talking about definitions, pretty sure you can find one in the dictionary. But for working purposes here, it\'s an opinion stated as fact, with no evidence supplied or case made to back it up.

And Tavasco is right, it\'s a freakin\' epidemic. This place is relatively good, probably because when you do that a lot and you\'re wrong you end up ripping up a lot of tickets and stop.
Title: Re: Thank You
Post by: Boscar Obarra on July 28, 2017, 10:40:57 AM
I warn you up front.  Twitter is a hotbed of idiocy.

 The effort to find the few useful streams far outweighs the reward.

  But it can be done.
Title: Re: Thank You
Post by: jbelfior on July 28, 2017, 12:09:38 PM
TGJB Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You\'re talking about definitions, pretty sure you
> can find one in the dictionary. But for working
> purposes here, it\'s an opinion stated as fact,
> with no evidence supplied or case made to back it
> up.
>
> And Tavasco is right, it\'s a freakin\' epidemic.
> This place is relatively good, probably because
> when you do that a lot and you\'re wrong you end up
> ripping up a lot of tickets and stop.


Statement : The profile of races run at a 1 1/8th on the dirt at Saratoga favor horses who lead or stalk.   Assertion???


Good Luck,
Joe B.
Title: Re: Thank You
Post by: Tavasco on July 28, 2017, 12:45:11 PM
In my opinbion, your example qualifies as an assertion.
Title: Re: Thank You
Post by: TGJB on July 28, 2017, 02:06:19 PM
Unless you back it up with evidence it\'s an assertion. Which doesn\'t mean it\'s not true, it may or may not be.
Title: Re: Thank You
Post by: jbelfior on July 28, 2017, 02:10:10 PM
Then I\'ll keep playing on that \"assertion\" as long as they keep running 1 1/8th races on the dirt up there.

It\'s based off of 40 years experience and my eyes.

Good luck with the game. It\'s great. Use all the tools.  



Good Luck,
Joe B.
Title: Re: Thank You
Post by: RICH on July 28, 2017, 03:14:39 PM
I went back the last year 355 horses running 1 1/8
55 winners (races)
its an assertion, not based on fact
Title: Re: Thank You
Post by: jbelfior on July 28, 2017, 04:02:29 PM
RICH Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I went back the last year 355 horses running 1 1/8
>
> 55 winners (races)
> its an assertion, not based on fact


I was referring to 1 1/8 races on dirt at Saratoga.

Good Luck,
Joe B
Title: Re: Thank You
Post by: RICH on July 28, 2017, 07:34:17 PM
of course, answer stands, assertion
Title: Re: Thank You
Post by: jbelfior on July 29, 2017, 05:52:38 AM
Here\'s a fact.

In the Bowling Green, at the weights, Closing Bell is in a window (U.N. number) where he can be in the picture at 10-1 assuming the anchor on his back saves ground.


Good Luck,
Joe B
Title: Re: Thank You
Post by: Wrongly on July 29, 2017, 06:22:29 AM
The Bowling Green came up very weak!  I have a slightly different take in that I don\'t like the jump ups of Closing Bell and Sadler\'s Joy (also has to run back to that number off the layoff).  I like Hello Don Julio in this one for similar reasons.  Should be on the pace and also get weight.  Returned to his 4-year old top and regressed only a point winning his last race.  Best of luck.
Title: Re: Thank You
Post by: ajkreider on July 29, 2017, 07:09:42 AM
Reading this thread makes my head want to explode.

Assertions are merely sincere declarative statements.  Some of these are true, some are false.  Some people make true assertions on the basis of good evidence, and some make true assertions without it.  Some people make false assertions on the basis of good evidence, and some do not (assuming, pace Descartes, that certainty is not the sole determiner of good evidence).

\"Opinion\" can mean a couple of things.  It\'s often used as a synonym for \"belief\".  If it\'s used this way, then some opinions are true and some false - some are justified and some are not.  \"Opinion\" is also used to indicate that the assertion in question is neither true nor false.  So, when someone says it\'s \"just an opinion\", they mean that there is no fact of the matter.

Facts are just true statements (or propositions).  Some facts are known, and some are unknown.

All the above are assertions that a) are true and b) have been made on the basis of good evidence that has not been provided here.
Title: Re: Thank You
Post by: breakage1 on August 04, 2017, 02:06:13 PM
I have no idea of the context of this post.

But some of you may find this book interesting:

http://halflifeoffacts.com/

It\'s written by a Harvard educated chronicler of knowledge.