Editing Fact (section)

==Etymology and usage==

The word ''fact'' derives from the Latin ''factum''. It was first used in English with the same meaning: "a thing done or performed"{{spaced en dash}}a meaning now obsolete outside the law.<ref name="Exp. Dan">"Fact" (1a). Oxford English Dictionary_2d_Ed_1989 Joye ''Exp. Dan.'' xi. Z vij b, ''Let emprours and kinges know this godly kynges fact. 1545''(but note the conventional uses: ''after the fact'' and ''before the fact'')</ref> The common usage of "something that has really occurred or is the case" dates from the mid-16th century.<ref name="Exp. Dan"/>

Barbara J. Shapiro wrote in her book ''A Culture of Fact'' how the concept of a fact evolved, starting within the English legal tradition of the 16th century.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Shapiro |first=Barbara J. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/41606276 |title=A culture of fact : England, 1550-1720 |date=2000 |publisher=Cornell University Press |isbn=0-8014-3686-9 |location=Ithaca |language=en |oclc=41606276}}</ref>

In 1870, [[Charles Sanders Peirce]] described in his book ''The Fixation of Belief'' four methods which people use to decide what they should believe: tenacity, method of authority, a priori and scientific method.<ref>Charles Sanders Peirce. ''The Fixation of Belief'' paperback – July 26, 2017 {{ISBN|1973922991}}, 38 pp</ref>

The term ''fact'' also indicates a ''matter under discussion'' deemed to be true or correct, such as to emphasize a point or prove a disputed issue; (e.g., "...&nbsp;the ''fact'' of the matter is ...").<ref>"Fact" (6c). Oxford English Dictionary_2d_Ed_1989</ref><ref>(See also "Matter" (2,6). ''Compact_Oxford English Dictionary'')</ref>

Alternatively, ''fact'' may also indicate an [[allegation]] or [[stipulation]] of something that may or may not be a ''true fact'',<ref>"Fact" (5). Oxford English Dictionary_2d_Ed_1989</ref> (e.g., "the author's facts are not trustworthy"). This alternate usage, although contested by some, has a long history in standard English according to the ''American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language.<ref>''American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language''_4th_Ed.</ref>'' The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' dates this use to 1729.<ref>"Fact" (5). Oxford English Dictionary_2d_Ed_1989</ref>

''Fact'' may also indicate findings derived through a ''process of evaluation'', including review of testimony, direct observation, or otherwise; as distinguishable from matters of inference or speculation.<ref>"Fact" (6a). Oxford English Dictionary_2d_Ed_1989</ref> This use is reflected in the terms "fact-find" and "fact-finder" (e.g., "set up a [[Trier of fact|fact-finding]] commission").<ref>"Fact" (8). Oxford English Dictionary_2d_Ed_1989</ref>

Facts may be checked by reason, experiment, personal experience, or may be argued from authority. [[Roger Bacon]] wrote "If in other sciences we should arrive at certainty without doubt and truth without error, it behooves us to place the foundations of knowledge in mathematics."<ref>Roger Bacon, translated by Robert Burke ''Opus Majus'', Book I, Chapter 2.</ref>