We can have principled beliefs that are something deeper than a “pissy opinion.” We can have beliefs that are values that are something different than merely believing a fact.

An example is from the psychologist who was a potential juror in the Boston Bomber trial who explained her opposition to the death penalty:

the judge opted to ask one general question of every juror: “Can you set aside your opinion and base your decision solely on the evidence that will be presented to you in court?”...One potential juror, a psychologist, responded, “I don’t know that the brain works that way.” She said that it would be difficult for her to surrender her principled opposition to the death penalty, “because it’s not based on something I’ve heard in the media; it’s based on my personal beliefs. It’s even harder to set aside because it’s one of my lifelong beliefs.”