[[Category:Wikipedia {{{1}}}s|Assume good faith]]
Assume good faith is a fundamental principle on any wiki, including Wikipedia. Since we allow anyone to edit, we must assume that most people will use the ability well. At the very least, we assume that most people who edit are trying to help the project, not hurt it. If this weren't true, a project like Wikipedia would be doomed from the beginning.
So, when you can reasonably assume that something is a well-intentioned error, correct it without just reverting it or labeling it as vandalism. When you disagree with someone, remember that they probably believe they are helping the project. Use talk pages to explain yourself, and give others the opportunity to do the same. This can avoid misunderstandings and prevent problems from escalating. Especially, remember to be patient with newcomers, who will be unfamiliar with Wikipedia's culture and rules.
Now, we want people to assume good faith from the outset, but of course we all learn from experience. There is a difference between assuming good faith and ignoring obvious bad faith. This page is in no way intended to excuse poor behavior from those who should know better, nor is it intended to suggest that the community should ignore such behavior. If you find others constantly mistrusting your intentions, consider why they mistrust you before telling them to assume good faith.
When edit wars get hot, it's easy to forget to assume good faith.
If you assume bad faith, several things may happen:
- Personal attacks: Once you've made a personal attack, the target will probably assume bad faith. The edit war will get even uglier. People, like elephants, rarely forget.
- Losing sight of the NPOV policy. The ideal is to make articles acceptable to everyone. Every revert (rather than change) of a biased edit is a NPOV defeat, no matter how outrageous the edit was. Consider figuring out why the other person felt the article was biased. Then, if possible, try to integrate their point, but in terms you consider neutral. If each side practices this they will eventually meet at NPOV — or a rough semblance of it.
Correcting someone's error (even if you think it was deliberate) is better than accusing them of lying because the person is likely to take it in a good natured fashion.
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