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This essay contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors on the Wikipedia:Assume good faith guideline. Essays may represent widespread norms or minority viewpoints. Consider these views with discretion. |
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This page in a nutshell: When involved in a discussion, it is best never to cite WP:AGF. |
In heated debates, users often cite Wikipedia's guideline of assuming good faith. However, the very act of citing WP:AGF assumes that the opponent is assuming bad faith. Carbonite's Law tells us, "the more a given user invokes Assume good faith as a defense, the lower the probability that said user was acting in good faith." It is in combining Carbonite's law with AGF that we produce AAGF: Assume the assumption of good faith, which simply states:
- "When involved in a discussion, it is best never to cite WP:AGF."
In reality, this is simply an extension of AGF, which allows for the possibility that one can incorrectly judge another's intentions or assumptions. AAGF acknowledges that the act of citing AGF requires one to assume the assumption of bad faith, and is thus open to its own form of abuse—an abuse which Carbonite's law reveals as an eventuality. While AGF should still be cited for especially egregious situations, it should be avoided whenever possible. If someone expresses doubts that you are acting in good faith, assume that their doubts are genuine and sincere, even if misplaced.
- The first rule of WP:AGF: Don't talk about WP:AGF.
[edit] See also
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Essays on Wikipedia civility |
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| The basics |
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| Philosophy |
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| Dos |
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| Don'ts |
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| Wiki________ |
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