This is an
essay on the
conduct policy. 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. |
To assume good faith is a fundamental principle on Wikipedia. As we allow anyone to edit, it follows that we assume that most people who work on the project are trying to help it, not hurt it. If this weren't true, a project like Wikipedia would be doomed from the beginning. As WP becomes more reputable and notable as a reference however the payoff of corrupting one part of it increases for various interests.
Sometimes to assume good faith is difficult. It is nevertheless worth applying a more adaptable but lower bar - postulate absence of malice.
Before reacting consider under what imaginary conditions the change committed could have been produced without the editor being malicious. If one exists, enunciate it, on the talk page. It might be true.
If you assume malice, several things may happen:
Of course, there's a difference between assuming good faith and ignoring malice. If you expect people to assume good faith from you, make sure you demonstrate it. Don't put the burden on others. Yelling "Assume Good Faith" at people does not excuse you from explaining your actions, and making a habit of it will convince people that you're acting in bad faith.
This policy does not require that editors continue to assume good faith in the presence of evidence to the contrary. Things which can cause the loss of good faith include vandalism, personal attacks, sockpuppetry and edit warring. Assuming good faith also does not mean that no action by editors should be criticized, it only means that one should not ascribe said action to malice. Automatically accusing the other side in a conflict of not assuming good faith regardless of their motivation is failing to assume good faith in itself.