Wikipedia:Reasonability rule
This is an essay. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints. |
This page in a nutshell: Be reasonable at all times. Anything unreasonable that is being done shouldn't be done at all. |
While Wikipedia has its set of various
Origins of the reasonability rule
While the term seems to originate in the
- In , and the ultimate questions of "Is justice being done here?", "Does the punishment fit the crime?", and "What is the best way to obtain justice?"
- In contract lawis in fact a codification of the reasonability rule.
- In education, grading policies generally reflect the reasonability rule, most notably on the college and university level: "At what level is it reasonable to expect a class's students to perform?' "Is it reasonable and appropriate to give Wendell an 'A' for this course?", "Is it reasonable for Byron not to be penalized if he commits academic dishonesty?", and "Did Byron commit academic dishonesty?" are only a few questions that involve the reasonability rule in the decision process.
So how does the reasonability rule apply to Wikipedia?
Editors are urged to observe the reasonability rule when working in a massive collaborative effort such as the Electronic Encyclopedia:
- reliable sources).
- A person insisting on a position or action contrary to the bulk of the community would be violating the reasonability rule by repeatedly reverting additions supported by the community itself, for such an insistence is assuming that the community is acting in bad faith; on the other hand, if consensus exists for a particular action or position, insisting that there is no consensus would also be a violation of the reasonability rule as it would be unreasonable for the community to assert consensus when none is present. Unfortunately, instances of editors violating the reasonability rule are common on Wikipedia and often result in unresolved edit wars, mediation, and more drastic measures by administrators.
- usernamea reasonable one for an editor to have, or is it inappropriate for this venue? Is a particular action against a particularly disruptive editor reasonable and appropriate in light of the disruption? Is the action "appropriate" and reasonable in light of the editor's tendencies and proclivities?
Another way of looking at the reasonability rule is this: if you're involved in an action or judgment involving (or by) another person, reverse roles. If the role reversal forces a change of opinion as to whether the action or judgment is unreasonable, then the original action—with the original roles—violates the reasonability rule. Such violations should be kept to a minimum: full compliance with the reasonability rule will result in a minimum of conflict and a maximum of productivity and enjoyment for all who participate. Such is always the goal of a collaboration of any scale.
See also
- Wikipedia:Administration
- Wikipedia:Contributing to Wikipedia
- Wikipedia:The rules are principles
- Wikipedia:Ignore all rules
- Wikipedia:One sentence does not an article make
- Wikipedia:Use common sense
- Wikipedia:Don't be inconsiderate
- Wikipedia:Expectations and norms of the Wikipedia community
- Wikipedia:The role of policies in collaborative anarchy
- Observations on Wikipedia behavior