Wikipedia:There is no common sense
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This essay contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. Essays may represent widespread norms or minority viewpoints. Consider these views with discretion. |
Common sense is often used to justify opinions and decisions. However, Wikipedians come from diverse ethnic, religious, political, cultural and ideological backgrounds and have vastly different perceptions regarding everything from science to shoe shopping. Other editors are likely to ascribe vastly different meanings and values to words and concepts than you. Paradoxically, written agreements and guidelines are the only sense that we have in common.
When advancing a position or justifying an action, base your argument on existing agreements, community foundation issues and the interests of the encyclopedia, not your own common sense. Exhorting another editor to "just use common sense" is likely to be taken as insulting, for good reasons. If in a particular case you feel that literally following a rule harms the encyclopedia, or that including something which the rules technically allow degrades it, then instead of telling someone who disagrees to use common sense, cite Wikipedia:Ignore all rules and explain why doing so will improve Wikipedia in that instance.
[edit] See also
- Wikipedia: Use common sense
- Wikipedia:Reduce confusion by following policy
- Wikipedia is not a bureaucracy
- Wikipedia's Neutral Point of View
