A common saying is: "You're entitled to your opinion, but not your own facts."

We have a naive few of "facts" as things that sit there outside ourselves which are easily verifiable and absolute.

Nope.  Sorry.  "Facts" are actually in the eye of the beholder.

Example: "Gravity is an absolute."  While there indeed is a set relation between the attraction of two objects, simplistic science fiction shows often show people hopping around on Mars in obvious earth gravity (after all, shot on earth).  The "fact" of gravity depends on where you are in the universe and how close to massive objects.  Let's not even talk about what happens near and in black holes, because no one really knows.

Politics loves to quote "facts" that the other side are aghast at hearing such "lies."

So rather than starting from some set, unalterable, absolute framework it's the path of the SEEKER to be amazed and delighted by what counters the commonly-held "facts."

Dan