Are we really entitled to our opinions?
Can we say or think whatever we like?
We've seen examples of how amateurs
feel they're entitled to disagree with climate
scientists and immunologists and have their own views
"respected."

No one can stop people from saying that
vaccines cause autism, no matter how many times that claim
has been disproven.
Are we entitled to opinions - if being entitled shelters
beliefs that should have been abandoned?

The wording of your post clearly shows that you do not believe that everyone has the right to an opinion, so there is no point in adopting your role of inquisitor AGAIN. We all know what you think; you know what other people here think.

Scientists disagree with other scientists. People agree with scientists who say what they want to hear. Lots of science has been proved spectacularly wrong.

All of which has nothing to do with opinions, which everyone is entitled to hold on any subject under the sun. In your case, you think that you are entitled to decide that some people's opinions "should have been abandoned".

ttbn,

Of course informed citizens should have opinions.
The problem is that in some issues expertise or
training is necessary for an opinion to have
weight.

It is important to gather knowledge from appropriate
places (hence my often use and referrals to links).
For example in medicine and in science, you can't just
have an opinion without an evidence base.

We live in a culture that tells us that everyone's opinion
matters. Unfortunately some people mistake this idea as
meaning that everyone's opinion matters all the time,
even if it is uninformed or misinformed.

Famous philosophers like Immanuel Kant encouraged
critical thinking and questio9ning of what we are told.
My dad encouraged that in all of us as well. But (and it's
a big but - an important part of thinking for oneself is
having intellectual humility in knowing when we don't have
enough knowledge on a topic.

My own take on this is: People have a right to free speech (ie. they can talk all they want), but they don't have a right to demand that I listen to them and certainly not to be unquestionably believed.

Utter rubbish. Nobody needs any 'training' to express an opinion. Decisions are not made on opinions. None of the opinions we express here mean a thing to anyone but ourselves. Opinions are not worth a pinch of poop. Your opinions, my opinions, are not even known by any but a few people on this site. I have opinions on Scott Morrison, for instance, what he should do and, more importantly to me, where he should go. If I expressed them to him, personally, he would decline to take any action on them. But, I have the right to hold those opinions and express them. I don't need "training". I am very well read, but even that doesn't mean that my opinions would ever be acted on. In the meantime, we are all able to agree with or disagree with options, and it is absurd to suggest that only certain people, with certain qualifications or knowledge have the right to say what they think to whom they choose. And, I haven’t seen any changes made according to your opinions over the time you and I have been opining on OLO. But, I get the feeling that you think you should be listened to. I have no such illusions for myself.

We are all entitled to our opinion. Equally we are all entitled to express that opinion (at least in this society at this time).
a
Equally we are ll entitled to critique the views of others. No one is entitled to demand that their opinion remain unchallenged.

As to experts, we should all seek the views of experts. But a range of experts. Too many think that an expert view is unassailable, without realising that experts also have differing views. AGW is the perfect example. It is claimed that there is a consensus of expert views on the dangers of warming when clearly and obviously that's simply wrong. So in order to form an informed view, its important to canvas a range of expert views and then form an informed opinion.

But I find many people form a view, then go seeking experts that will confirm that view. And then demand that their views not be challenged because its supported by selected experts.