Generally, a fact is something that is the case, something that actually exists, an event which has really occurred, or information that can be verified according to an established standard of evaluation. There is a range of other uses, depending on the context. Philosophers and scientists are interested in facts because of their relation to truth.

Etymology and usage

The word fact derives from the Latin ''Factum'', and was first used in English with the same meaning: "a thing done or performed", a use that is now obsolete. The common usage of "something that has really occurred or is the case" dates from the middle of the sixteenth century.

Fact is sometimes used synonymously with ''truth'', as distinct from opinions, falsehoods, or matters of taste. This use is found in such phrases as, ''It is a fact that the cup is red'' or ''Matter of fact'', and "... not history, nor fact, but imagination."

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., "... the ''fact'' of the matter is ...").

Alternatively, ''fact'' may also indicate an ''allegation or stipulation'' of something that may or may not be a "true fact", (e.g., "the author's facts are not trustworthy"). This alternate usage, although contested by some, has a long history in standard English.

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. This use is reflected in the terms "fact-find" and "fact-finder" (e.g., "set up a fact-finding commission").

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."

Fact in philosophy

In philosophy, the concept ''fact'' is considered in epistemology and ontology. Questions of objectivity and truth are closely associated with questions of fact. A "fact" can be defined as something which is the case, that is, the state of affairs reported by a true proposition.

Facts may be understood as that which makes a true sentence true. Facts may also be understood as those things to which a true sentence refers. The statement "Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system" is ''about'' the fact Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system.

Misunderstanding of the difference between fact and theory sometimes leads to fallacy in rhetoric, in which one person will say his or her claim is factual whereas the opponent's claim is just theory. Such statements indicate confusion as to the meanings of both words, suggesting the speaker believes that ''fact'' means "truth," and ''theory'' means "speculation."

Correspondence and the slingshot argument

Some versions of the correspondence theory of truth hold that what makes a sentence true is that it ''corresponds'' to a fact. This theory presupposes the existence of an objective world.

The Slingshot argument claims to show that all true statements stand for the same thing - the truth value ''true''. If this argument holds, and facts are taken to be what true statements stand for, then we reach the counter-intuitive conclusion that there is only one fact - "the truth".

Compound facts

Any non-trivial true statement about reality is necessarily an abstraction composed of a complex of objects and properties or relations. For example, the fact described by the true statement "Paris is the capital city of France" implies that there is such a place as Paris, there is such a place as France, there are such things as capital cities, as well as that France has a government, that the government of France has the power to define its capital city, and that the French government has chosen Paris to be the capital, that there is such a thing as a "place" or a "government", etc.. The verifiable accuracy of all of these assertions, if facts themselves, may coincide to create the fact that Paris is the capital of France.

Difficulties arise, however, in attempting to identify the constituent parts of negative, modal, disjunctive, or moral facts.

The fact-value distinction

Moral philosophers since David Hume have debated whether values are objective, and thus factual. In ''A Treatise of Human Nature'' Hume pointed out there is no obvious way for a series of statements about what ''ought'' to be the case to be derived from a series of statements of what ''is'' the case. Those who insist there is a logical gulf between facts and values, such that it is fallacious to attempt to derive values from facts, include G. E. Moore, who called attempting to do so the Naturalistic fallacy.

The factual-counterfactual distinction

Factuality — what has occurred — can also be contrasted with counterfactuality — what ''might have'' occurred, but did not. A counterfactual conditional or subjunctive conditional is a conditional (or "if-then") statement indicating what ''would be'' the case if events had been other than they actually are. For example, "If Alexander had lived, his empire would have been greater than Rome". This is to be contrasted with an indicative conditional, which indicates what ''is'' (in fact) the case if its antecedent ''is'' (in fact) true — for example, "if you drink this, it will make you well".

Such sentences are important to Modal logic, especially since the development of Possible world semantics.

Fact in science

Just as in philosophy, the scientific concept of fact is central to fundamental questions regarding the nature, methods, scope and validity of scientific reasoning.

In the most basic sense, a scientific ''fact'' is an objective and verifiable observation, in contrast with a ''hypothesis'' or ''theory'', which is intended to explain or interpret facts. (For an example, see Evolution as theory and fact.)

Various scholars have offered significant refinements to this basic formulation, some of which are detailed below. Also, rigorous scientific use of the term "fact" is careful to distinguish: 1) ''states of affairs'' in the external world; from 2) ''assertions'' of fact that may be considered relevant in scientific analysis. The term is used in both senses in the philosophy of science.

Scholarly inquiry regarding scientific fact

Scholars and clinical researchers in both the social and natural sciences have forwarded numerous questions and theories in clarifying the fundamental nature of scientific fact. Some pertinent issues raised by this inquiry include: the process by which "established fact" becomes recognized and accepted as such; whether and to what extent "fact" and "theoretic explanation" can be considered truly independent and separable from one another; to what extent are "facts" influenced by the mere act of observation;

Consistent with the theory of confirmation holism, some scholars assert "fact" to be necessarily "theory-laden" to some degree. Thomas Kuhn and others pointed out that knowing what facts to measure, and how to measure them, requires the use of some other theory (e.g., age of fossils is based on radiocarbon dating which is justified by reasoning that radioactive decay follows a Poisson process rather than a Bernoulli process). Similarly, Percy Williams Bridgman is credited with the methodological position known as operationalism, which asserts that all observations are not only influenced, but necessarily ''defined'' by the means and assumptions used to measure them.

Fact and the scientific method

Apart from the fundamental inquiry in to the nature of scientific fact, there remain the practical and social considerations of how fact is investigated, established, and substantiated through the proper application of the scientific method. Scientific facts are generally believed to be independent of the observer: no matter who performs a scientific experiment, all observers will agree on the outcome. In addition to these considerations, there are the social and institutional measures, such as peer review and accreditation, that are intended to promote ''factual accuracy'' (among other interests) in scientific study.

Fact in history

A common rhetorical cliché states, ''"History is written by the winners".'' This phrase suggests but does not examine the use of facts in the writing of history.

E. H. Carr in his 1961 volume, ''What is History?'', argues that the inherent biases from the gathering of facts makes the objective truth of any historical perspective idealistic and impossible. Facts are, "like fish in the Ocean," of which we may only happen to catch a few, only an indication of what is below the surface. Even a dragnet cannot tell us for certain what it would be like to live below the Ocean's surface. Even if we do not discard any facts (or fish) presented, we will always miss the majority; the site of our fishing, the methods undertaken, the weather and even luck play a vital role in what we will catch. Additionally, the composition of history is inevitably made up by the compilation of many different bias of fact finding - all compounded over time. He concludes that for a historian to attempt a more objective method, one must accept that history can only aspire to a conversation of the present with the past - and that one's methods of fact gathering should be openly examined. As with science, historical truth and facts will therefore change over time and reflect only the present consensus (if that).

Fact in law

In most common law jurisdictions, the general concept and analysis of fact reflects fundamental principles of Jurisprudence, and is supported by several well-established standards. Matters of fact have various formal definitions under common law jurisdictions.

These include:

an element required in legal pleadings to demonstrate a cause of action;

the determinations of the finder of fact after evaluating admissible evidence produced in a trial or hearing; a potential ground of reversible error forwarded on appeal in an appellate court; and any of various matters subject to investigation by official authority to establish whether a crime has been perpetrated, and to establish culpability.

Legal pleadings

A party to a civil suit generally must clearly state all relevant allegations of fact upon which a claim is based. The requisite level of precision and particularity of these allegations varies depending on the rules of civil procedure as well as the jurisdiction. Parties who face uncertainties regarding the facts and circumstances attendant to their side in a dispute may sometimes invoke alternative pleading. In this situation, a party may plead separate sets of facts that (when considered together) may be contradictory or mutually exclusive. This (seemingly) logically-inconsistent presentation of facts may be necessary as a safeguard against contingencies (such as ''res judicata'') that would otherwise preclude presenting a claim or defense that depends on a particular interpretation of the underlying facts.

See also

Brute fact

Consensus reality

Counterfactual history

De facto

Fact-finding

Factoid

Lie

Reality

State of affairs

Truth

References

Category:Critical thinking Category:Reality Category:Units of information (cognitive processes) Category:Philosophy of science Category:Concepts in epistemology

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name	Manoj Kumar
birth name	Harikrishna Giri Goswami
birth date	July 24, 1937
birth place	Abbottabad, Hazara Division, British India (now Pakistan)
occupation	Actor , Director
yearsactive	1964–present (Retired)
spouse	Sashi Goswami
othername	Bharat Kumar Manoj }}

Manoj Kumar (born Harikrishna Giri Goswami on 24 July 1937) is an award-winning Indian actor and director in the Bollywood film industry. He is known for acting in and directing films with patriotic themes, and has been given the nickname "Mr Bharat" (Bhaarat is the Sanskrit and Hindi term for India). In 1992, he was honoured with the Padma Shri by the Government of India.

Early life

Manoj Kumar was born in Abbottabad, a town of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, then part of India. Abbottabad is now located within the borders of Pakistan. His original name was Harikishan Giri Goswami. When he was 10, his Gosain Hindu family had to move to Delhi owing to partition. His family lived as refugees in Vijay Nagar, Kingsway Camp and later moved to Patel Nagar area of New Delhi.

After graduating from Hindu College, University of Delhi, he decided to enter the film industry.

Career

As a youth, he admired Bollywood superstar Dilip Kumar, and decided to name himself Manoj Kumar after Dilip's character in Shabnam (1949).

After making a little-noticed début in ''Fashion'' in 1957, Manoj landed his first leading role in ''Kaanch Ki Gudia'' (1960) opposite Sayeeda Khan. ''Piya Milan Ki Aas'' and ''Reshmi Roomal'' followed, setting the stage for the Vijay Bhatt-directed ''Hariyali Aur Raasta'' (1962) opposite Mala Sinha. Kumar then appeared with Sadhana in Raj Khosla's ''Woh Kaun Thi'' (1964), and reunited with Vijay Bhatt and Mala Sinha in ''Himalaya Ki God Mein'' (1965).

The patriotic hero

Kumar's image as the patriotic hero started with the 1965 film ''Shaheed'', based on the life of Bhagat Singh, a martyr in the struggle for India's freedom. After the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri asked him to create a film based on the popular slogan ''Jai Jawan Jai Kissan'' (hail the soldier, hail the farmer).

The result was Kumar's magnum opus and his directorial debut, ''Upkaar'' (1967). In it, he played both a soldier and a farmer. The film was also noted for the famous song ''Mere Desh Ki Dharti'', written by Gulshan Bawra, composed by Kalyanji-Anandji and sung by Mahendra Kapoor. ''Upkaar'' was a hit and won Kumar his first Filmfare Best Director Award.

After dabbling in various roles in the late 1960s, Manoj returned to patriotic themes in ''Purab Aur Paschim'' (1970), in which life in the East and West are juxtaposed. In 1972, he starred in ''Be-Imaan'' (for which he won the Filmfare Best Actor Award) and directed and starred in ''Shor'' (1972). The latter, opposite Nanda, was not a huge box office success, but it did feature the memorable song ''Ek Pyar Ka Nagma Hai'', a duet by Lata Mangeshkar and Mukesh, which was composed by Laxmikant Pyarelal.

Later career

The mid-1970s saw Kumar star in three hit films: ''Roti Kapda Aur Makaan'' (1974) was a social commentary featuring an all-star cast including Zeenat Aman, Shashi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan that won him his second Filmfare Award for Best Director; ''Sanyasi'' (1975) had Kumar and Hema Malini in the lead roles of a religious-themed comedy; and ''Dus Numbri'' (1976) also gave Kumar and Hema top billing. In 1981, Kumar reached the peak of his career when he got the opportunity to direct his idol, Dilip Kumar, as well as star in ''Kranti'', a story about the struggle for Indian independence in the 19th century. ''Kranti'' was the last notable successful film in his career. He also starred in the hit Punjabi film ''Jat Punjabi''.

After ''Kranti'', Kumar's career began to decline in the 1980s as all of his films failed at the box office. In 1989 he cast Pakistani actors Mohammad Ali and Zeba in his film ''Clerk'' which was considered to be a groundbreaking event. He quit acting after his appearance in the 1995 film ''Maidan-E-Jung''. His son, Kunal Goswami, tried to revive the patriotic theme and was directed by Kumar in the 1999 film ''Jai Hind'' which was a flop. Kumar was awarded the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award that same year.

His trademark hand-covering-the-face was very popular and continues to be the butt of jokes of latter day stand-up comedians. In 2007, the Shah Rukh Khan film ''Om Shanti Om'' featured the lead character pretending to be Manoj Kumar so as to sneak into a movie premiere, by holding his hand over his face. Kumar filed a lawsuit, which was settled out of court.

Politics

Like many other Bollywood stars, Kumar decided to enter politics following his retirement. Before the 2004 general election in India, it was announced that he had officially joined the ranks of the Shiv Sena.

Personal life

Kumar is married to Shashi Goswami (originally from Jodhkan, Sirsa district, Haryana). He has two sons, Vishal and Kunal, Vishal tried his skills as a singer and Kunal as an actor. His brother, Rajiv Goswami, also entered the film industry, but none were able to gain any footin in Bollywood and faded into oblivion..

Awards

Civilian award

1992 - Padma Shri by the Government of India

National Film Awards

1968 - National Film Award for Second Best Feature Film for ''Upkaar''

Filmfare Awards

Winner

1968 - Filmfare Best Movie Award for ''Upkaar''

1968 - Filmfare Best Director Award for ''Upkaar''

1968 - Filmfare Best Story Award for ''Upkaar''

1968 - Filmfare Best Dialogue Award for ''Upkaar''

1972 - Filmfare Best Actor Award for ''Beimaan''

1975 - Filmfare Best Director Award for ''Roti Kapda Aur Makaan''

1999 - Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award

Nominated

1968 - Filmfare Best Actor Award for ''Upkaar''

1969 - Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for ''Aadmi''

1973 - Filmfare Best Director Award for ''Shor''

1975 - Filmfare Best Movie Award for ''Roti Kapda Aur Makaan''

1975 - Filmfare Best Actor Award for ''Roti Kapda Aur Makaan''

1976 - Filmfare Best Actor Award for ''Sanyasi''

Honours

2009 - Phalke Ratna Award by the Dadasaheb Phalke Academy

Other Awards

1968 - BFJA Awards: Best Dialogue for ''Upkaar''

2008 - Star Screen Lifetime Achievement Award

2010 - Lifetime Achievement Award at the 12th Mumbai Film Festival

Special Honour

In the honour of devotion of Manoj Kumar towards Shri Sai Baba; Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust, Shirdi has renamed "Pimpalwadi Road" in Shirdi, as "Manojkumar Goswami Road".

Selected filmography

Actor

''Panchayat'' ''Chand'' ''Honeymoon'' ''Suhaag Sindoor'' ''Hariyali Aur Rasta'' ''Apna bana ke dekho'' ''Apne huye paraye'' ''Shaheed (1965 film) ''Do Badan'' ''Patthar Ke Sanam'' ''Neel Kamal (1968 film) ''Purab Aur Paschim'' ''Shor (film) ''Roti Kapda Aur Makaan'' ''Sanyasi (1975 film) ''Dus Numbri'' ''Kranti'' ''Kalyug Aur Ramayan'' ''Santosh'' ''Maidan-E-Jung''

Year
1957	Fashion (1957 film)>Fashion''
rowspan="2">1958	|
''Sahara''
1959	|
1960	|
rowspan="3"	1961	|
''Kaanch ki gudiya''
''Reshmi rumal''
rowspan="7"	1962	|	Shanker	Mala Sinha/Shashikala
''Dr Vidya''
''Shaadi''
''Banarsi Thug''	Shyam
''Maa beta''
''Piya milan ki aas'''
''Naqli nawab''
rowspan="3"	1963	|
''Ghar basake dekho''
''Grahasti''
rowspan="3"	1964	|
''Woh Kaun Thi?''	Dr Anand
''Phoolon Ki Sej''
rowspan="4"	1965	Shaheed'' ||	Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh
''Himalaya Ki God Mein''	Sunil Mehra
''Gumnaam''	Anand
''Poonam Ki Raat''
rowspan="3"	1966	|	Vikas	Asha Parekh
''Saawan Ki Ghata''
''Saajan''
rowspan="3"	1967	|	Rajesh	Waheeda Rehman/Mumtaz
''Anita (1967 film)	Anita''	Neeraj
''Upkaar''	Bharat
rowspan="2"	1968	Neel Kamal'' ||	Ram	Waheeda Rehman
''Aadmi (1968 film)	Aadmi''	Dr Shekhar
rowspan="4"	1970	|	Bharat	Saira Banu
''Yaadgar''	Banu
''Pehchan''	Gangaram
''Mera Naam Joker''	David
rowspan="2"	1972	Shor'' ||	Shankar	Nanda/Jaya Bachchan
''Be-Imaan''	Mohan
1974	|	Bharat	Zeenat Aman/Moushumi Chatterji
1975	Sanyasi'' ||	Ram Rai	Hema Malini
1976	|	Arjun	Hema Malini
1981	|	Bharat/Kranti	Hema Malini
1987	|	Pawan Putra (Shri Hanuman)	Madhavi
rowspan="2"	1989	|	Santosh Singh
''Clerk (1989 film)	Clerk''	Bharat
1995	|	Master Dinanath

References

External links

Manoj Kumar: Bollywood's Own Mr Bharat

Showbiz Legends: Manoj Kumar

Manoj Kumar at the Internet Movie Database

Category:1937 births Category:Indian actors Category:Living people Category:Indian film directors Category:Indian screenwriters Category:Hindi-language film directors Category:Filmfare Awards winners Category:Indian film actors Category:Hindi film actors Category:People from Abbottabad Category:University of Delhi alumni Category:Indian Hindus

fr:Manoj Kumar gu:મનોજ કુમાર it:Manoj Kumar kn:ಮನೋಜ್ ಕುಮಾರ್ ml:മനോജ് കുമാർ mr:मनोज कुमार

Name	Asia Bibi
Birth name	Asia Noreen
Birth date	c. 1971
Resting place coordinates
Nationality	Pakistani
Footnotes	}}

Asia Noreen (Urdu: آسیہ نو رین, better known as Asia (also spelled Aasiya) Bibi, Urdu: آسیہ بی بی, born c. 1971) is a Pakistani Christian woman who was convicted by a Pakistani court of blasphemy, receiving a sentence of death by hanging. The verdict, which would need to be upheld by a superior court, has received worldwide attention. If executed, Noreen would be the first woman in Pakistan to be lawfully killed for blasphemy. Christian minister Shahbaz Bhatti and Pakistani government politician Salmaan Taseer were both assassinated for opposing the blasphemy laws.

The case

In June 2009, Asia Noreen, a farm hand from the village of Ittan Wali in Sheikhupura District, was asked to fetch water; she complied, but some of her Muslim fellow workers refused to drink the water as they considered Christians to be "unclean". Apparently some arguments ensued.

"

There had already been a running feud between Noreen and a neighbour about some property damage. Later some coworkers complained to a cleric that Noreen made derogatory comments about Prophet Muhammad. A mob came to her house, beating her and members of her family before she was rescued by the police. However, the police initiated an investigation about her remarks, resulting in her arrest and prosecution under Section 295 C of the Pakistan Penal Code. She spent more than a year in jail. In November 2010 Muhammed Naveed Iqbal, judge at the court of Sheikhupura, Punjab, sentenced her to death by hanging. Additionally, a fine of an equivalent of $1,100 was imposed.

Noreen's husband, Aashiq Fauji Masih, 51 years old, plans to appeal the verdict, which has to be upheld by the Lahore High Court.

International response

Pope Benedict XVI called for clemency for Noreen, and the conviction has also been criticized by human rights groups. According to Human Rights Watch researcher Ali Dyan Hasan, "The law creates this legal infrastructure which is then used in various informal ways to intimidate, coerce, harass and persecute."

Possible presidential pardon

According to the Governor of Punjab who investigated the affair for the President Asif Ali Zardari, Noreen is likely to be pardoned if the High Court does not suspend the sentence. However, the local imam threatened that if she is pardoned or released, some people would "take the law into their own hands". Her family has received threats and went into hiding.

Assassinations for comments on Noreen

On January 4, 2011, at Kohsar Market of Islamabad, the Governor of Punjab, Salmaan Taseer, was assassinated by a member of his security team, Malik Mumtaz Hussein Qadri, because of his defence of Noreen and opposition to the blasphemy law. Taseer was outspoken in his criticism of the law and the verdict in the Asia Bibi case. The next day, thousands turned up for governor Salman Taseer's funeral in Lahore in spite of warnings by the Taliban and some clerics. Thousands of Muslims also rallied in support of the blasphemy laws in Pakistan after the murder.

Pakistan's Minority Affairs Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, the only Christian member of Pakistan's cabinet, was also assassinated, on March 2, 2011, reportedly also for his position on blasphemy laws. He was shot dead by gunmen who ambushed his car near his residence in Islamabad.

See also

Human rights in Pakistan

Christianity in Pakistan

Christianity in Punjab, Pakistan

Qamar David

References

External links

Your signature to save Asia Bibi and Pakistan, ''AsiaNews.it''.

Online petition drive launched by The Voice of the Martyrs to call for Asia's release, ''www.CallForMercy.com''

Category:Living people Category:1971 births Category:Pakistani Christians Category:People convicted of blasphemy Category:Pakistani prisoners sentenced to death Category:Islam-related controversies Category:Punjabi people Category:People from Sheikhupura District

de:Asia Bibi es:Asia Bibi fr:Affaire Asia Bibi it:Asia Bibi nl:Asia Bibi