Analysis vs.

Opinion
Scholars tend to treat life in a most analytical manner; we deconstruct it, psychoanalyze it, interpret it. We continually prod it, poke it, and push it about in an effort to make it give forth meaning that will expand our knowledge about the collective human condition. --Marcia Dickson

Academics are known for always analyzing everything. Its true: they have a habit of asking probing questions, a practice that is sometimes called the spirit of inquiry. The motive is to reveal some of the invisible meanings beneath the surface of things that might have been unquestioned before. When you ask why, you are doing an analysis. An analysis divides a subject into parts so as to find meaning beneath the surface. It looks for connections and causes. To analyze is to ask what something means, how something does what it does, why something does what it does. The ultimate goal of analysis is an enlarged understanding of the world we live in. In a verbal conversation, you might call your claim just your opinion and leave it at that. You probably arrived at it without a lot of studyin fact, our opinions feel so logical and obvious to us as to seem natural and universal. But in academic writing, your opinion is more than your commonsense logic or personal preference: its your theory backed up with credible evidence (or an extended inquiry). Such a discussion entails some kind of detailed analysis that looks for meaning beneath the surface. This elaborated discussion or presentation of evidence is what makes academic writing more than opinion. Some students new to academic analysis mistakenly say that the authors they read are merely voicing an opinion. But scholars who write academic discourse are not stating opinions, they are earning their position by the strength of the analysis or research they offer as evidence. It may feel strange, perhaps, to pay such attention to things that seem too ordinary to keep talking about. You may want to complain Academics think too much, This is B-O-R-I-N-G! or I cant think of anything else to say. Academic thinking IS new and kind of weird in some ways. But in other ways, many of you have been analyzing stuff in your life since you were little. You have been observing people and events around you and drawing conclusions outside the classroom for years. Actually, you develop theories of what things mean and how you should conduct yourself all the time. Now were going to extend that theory-making into subjects you may not have considered beforeones that respond to the articles well read and discuss in class. In literature classes, the text you analyze is a piece of fiction, in composition classes, the texts come from many places. Opinion vs. Theory Opinions are statements of personal taste and preference (I dont like tomatoes). No further analysis can reasonably follow an opinion. All that a reader could respond is that they agree or disagree. (What else is there to discuss, No, you do like tomatoes?) Opinions often are voiced in ways that sound as if the writer assumes all other people feel the same way, so the language of opinions typically uses absolute wording (Tomatoes are bad). The source for an opinion is the individual who holds it and is learned from the host of background experiences that formed that taste. But in academic writing, your opinion is more than your personal preference: its your theory (or line of inquiry) backed up with credible analysis. A theory is different from an opinion. A theory is a statement of a possibility that can be analyzed further to examine its validity. Such a discussion entails some kind of detailed analysis that looks for meaning beneath the surface. It takes reasoned evidence to back up a juicy

claim; therefore, writers who assert theories earn their support through developed analysis and logic outside themselves. The claims that many academics find most reasonable come from writers who are aware of the diversity of human experience and other critical perspectives, so the language is often qualified (The evidence suggests that). Opinion Originates in backgroundreflects cultural and family influences Based on habit, taste, and preference Resists further questioning and change Often takes the form of judgment Assumes common agreement One opinion is as valid as the next Encourages a whatever response or listeners to compare their opinion Theory Originates in analysisreflects perspective too because what seems logical rests in cultural influences Backed up by reasoning, evidence, and inquiry Seeks further questioning and changes with updated info Often takes the form of analysis Assumes diversity of perspective Some theories more supported and valid than others Encourages the writer to be clearer and more coherent to better explain the position

I want to offer a word of praise for academic theorizing. The spirit of inquiry that analysis demands teaches us to expect proof from all the competing voices in life that vie for our acceptance. There are countless people/systems trying to get us to buy into their ideologies. Whether they are commercials trying to get us to buy their products, salespeople trying to get us to buy their programs, in-laws trying to get us to do things their way, politicians trying to justify their actions, or preachers/teachers trying to get us to buy their ideas, they all want to sell us their beliefs. Critical thinkinglistening with an open mind but thinking for ourselvesis probably the best benefit we gain from habits of academic analysis.