Issuepedia:Viewpoint
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
The printable version is no longer supported and may have rendering errors. Please update your browser bookmarks and please use the default browser print function instead.
Overview
Issuepedia uses the word viewpoint to refer to one of multiple possible conclusions regarding a given issue.
- Prime Directive: People must be able to say what they think. Any point of view must be able to make its case.
- It is somewhat important, therefore, that the site not appear to be favoring one particular viewpoint or ideology overall.
- The normal processes of discussion and judgement which come into play in the writing of pages on Issuepedia will inevitably result in support for some conclusions over others; this is an essential part of Issuepedia's function.
- Another part of that function is the gradual "homing in" on truth by successive approximation -- of which dissenting opinions are a necessary part.
- Therefore, although we do want to make the effort to invite dissenting conclusions and opinions, we don't need to feel obligated to "hand-hold" opposing viewpoints into expressing themselves. We leave the door open as wide as possible; it's up to them to walk through it.
Guidelines
Some style guidelines which may help prevent the dialogue from being (or appearing) too one-sided:
- Wherever possible, give your assumptions. State the obvious.
- Wherever possible, give sources for your facts.
- Statements of opinion should be stated as judgements, not as self-evident facts. "Gostakinarians are all deluded hypocrites" would be bad; "Gostaknarians seem to have a tendency towards hypocrisy and self-delusion" is better, and "The Gostaknarians quoted in the articles below are all being hypocritical or possibly delusional. (Does anyone have examples of Gostaknarians behaving in a reasonable manner?)" is closer to ideal, though still not perfect; it does at least explicitly open the door for a conflicting opinion. Think of yourself as an alien evaluating what you are seeing, not as a member of one group criticizing another.