Talk:Wicked problem/Archives/2020
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"Wicked" as other than "evil"
The use of "wicked" to denote something other than evil is well rooted in slang; it has been used as a synonym for "awesome" for decades.
Use of "wicked" in "wicked problem" is actually related to the "evil" sense. The problem is being personified as a tough adversary who is maliciously undermining the problem solver's efforts by moving the goalposts, like a wicked antagonist in a good-versus-evil battle. 206.108.192.2 (talk) 18:53, 3 March 2020 (UTC)
- No. In fact the paper that serves as the locus classicus of the term wicked problem, "Dilemmas in a General Theory of Planning" (Rittel & Weber 1973), says: "We do not mean to personify these properties of social systems by implying malicious intent." That is exactly the opposite of what was inaccurately speculated above:
The problem is being personified as a tough adversary who is maliciously undermining the problem solver's efforts
. Rittel & Weber proposed "a meaning akin to that of 'malignant' (in contrast to 'benign')", which, as they explicitly clarified, is different from "malicious". Like aBiogeographist (talk) 20:24, 3 March 2020 (UTC)
- Yes. Firstly, in spite of claiming that they "do not mean to personify ... implying malicious intent", they in fact chose a word which personifies by analogy with malicious intent. It's like saying, "I don't mean to berate or insult Bob in any way, but he's a complete ass". Secondly, those authors do not control the English language, and do not own the interpretation of every "wicked problem" utterance: what every speaker and writer means by it, and what the listener/reader understands by it. 206.108.192.2 (talk) 20:25, 4 March 2020 (UTC)
- No, that's not how Wikipedia works. Outside of Wikipedia, anyone can interpret any word or phrase in any way they want, but on Wikipedia we follow the Biogeographist (talk) 21:27, 4 March 2020 (UTC)
- No, that's not how Wikipedia works. Outside of Wikipedia, anyone can interpret any word or phrase in any way they want, but on Wikipedia we follow the