oxymoron? contradiction? nonsense? non-sequitur?

"Facts can be made up too.”  

At first glance, this looks like a nonsense statement, if you take fact to mean a true statement, and made up to mean false. A true statement can never be false. This really sounds like someone got called out for making up something to support their point of view, and is trying to deflect by claiming that the facts that contradict it are just as likely to be invalid.

However, I do see two other ways this could be interpreted. One is that  made up could also mean invented within someone's mind. This would be an unusual way to read the statement, but one that I'd say is valid. It's not uncommon for people to conjure up some statement in their mind, which by a matter of pure coincidence, turns out to be true.

The other is that, colloquially, people will often use the word fact interchangeably with the word  factoid , which is a false statement presented as a fact. In this respect, the sentence would mean "People can invent a false statement, as present it as a true statement." This is true, and happens frequently.

The statement "Facts can be made up too" contains a contradiction and can be classified as nonsense because it conflicts with the very definition of what constitutes a fact.

1. **Contradiction**: A fact, by definition, is something that has objective reality or can be proven to be true based on evidence or reality. If something is "made up," it is a creation of imagination and not grounded in objective reality. Therefore, the idea that facts, which are supposed to be true and verifiable, can be fabricated or imaginary is self-contradictory. In other words, a fact cannot be both true and made up at the same time.

2. **Nonsense**: The statement doesn't hold logical coherence under scrutiny. Since the term "fact" implies truthfulness and objectivity, suggesting that something made up (which implies falsehood or fabrication) can also be a fact results in an illogical pairing of concepts.

3. **Non-sequitur**: The statement does not follow logically from any preceding premises (if there were any). It tries to assert a premise that lacks internal logic. No logical foundation can validate how a fact could be something other than objectively true and verifiable.

In summary, the assertion "Facts can be made up too" is intrinsically contradictory because it misappropriates the meaning of "facts," defying logical and definitional standards.

The statement "Facts can be made up too." 

Is that a fact?  (Pun intended.)

If yes, are we making it up or is there an objective standard by which we can determine fact from fiction? 

If no, then you are dealing with subjectivism with all its inherent errors. 

Unless we have a method to determine fact from fiction, knowledge, all knowledge without limitation, is impossible. 

Knowledge is the correct identification of the facts of what exists, of reality. This is the most straightforward definition that I have encountered. It is an important concept to keep in mind. For example, suppose you hold a belief that does not correctly identify the facts of reality. In such a case, that particular belief is not knowledge. 

Aristotle’s Laws of Logic start with: A is A. A thing is what it is. 

Knowledge is a familiarity, awareness, or understanding of someone or something, such as facts (propositional knowledge), skills (procedural knowledge), or objects (acquaintance knowledge). Of course, knowledge can be acquired in many different ways and from many sources, including but not limited to perception, reason, memory, testimony, scientific inquiry, education, and practice. This is the philosophical discipline for the study of knowledge and is called epistemology.

The definition of knowledge is a matter of ongoing debate among epistemologists. The classical definition specifies that a statement must meet three criteria to be considered knowledge: it must be (1) justified, (2) true, and (3) believed.