When
using other people’s research in creating our own arguments it is important to keep
ethics and fallibility in mind. Wikipedia, a medium that was once characterized
as unreliable, is growing into an intellectual melting pot for scholars and
enthusiasts alike. Winterowd, Hood, and Gates give insight to possible issues
in creating discourse that is unclear, fallible, and offensive (ethically).
Winterowd
extrapolates how a statements structure can lead to a lack of clarity. In the
public context it is imperative to have a concrete intention for writing.
Winterowd states that we must know whether we are promising or stating. The
mechanics behind these situations lie in propositions. Propositions can be categorized
into two categories: Performative and non performative.
A performative sentence looks like
this:
I
(hereby) advise you to only use credible sources in Wikipedia articles.
While a nonperformative sentence
looks like this:
You
use credible sources in Wikipedia articles.
Winterowd
states that we gain some clarification of the nature of performatives by the
fact that they can easily take the modification of the adverb hereby. As future Wikipedia authors it
useful to create performative propositions (ones where hereby can be easily
added) as they are concrete and leave no room for misinterpretation. Winterowd
also calls attention to the creation of ambiguity via the stating of sentences
in question as the object of a performative verb.
Hood
is a professor who encountered a fallible Wikipedia entry on thermodynamics.
Wood edited the “offensive fragment” and followed the procedure for replacing
vandalized text outlined in “Wikipedia: Vandalism.” Surprisingly, this
collegiate English professor is a supporter of Wikipedia. She understands that
Wikipedia provides the opportunity to write for an audience that LITERALLY
responds. As knowledge seeking individuals it is important to see fallible
information as an opportunity to move discourse forward. We need to understand
the consequences of the way we compile the content of entries if we are going
to be creating Wikipedia entries.
The
global community that Wikipedia creates is unique and is intended towards being
a medium for the most current and relevant information on topics. Hood
encourages her students to look into Wikipedia as it offers information created
by a diverse set of authors. She points out that students currently have a less
predictable understanding of audience due to their high use of digital and
virtual environments. This being said, the authors of a single Wikipedia
article can come from 3 different continents. It’s exciting to think that an
American student can simultaneously be working on the same entry as an Asian
student 6 time zones away. If done correctly Wikipedia offers an international
platform for the growth of knowledge. Wiki authors should look into Wikipedia’s
citation tips and keep in mind that a reference that has already been published
is deemed as more credible than an unpublished account.
Logically,
Gates is covered last in this post, as he seems to sum up the ideas of ethics
and fallibility in the public expression of complex topics. Gates is a strong
believer in the humanities. The Internet has catapulted global communication in
such a significant way that we need to learn to embrace its uses. Gates states:
We need to reform
our entire notion of core curricula to account for the comparable eloquence of
the African, the Asian, the Latin American, and the Middle Eastern traditions,
to prepare our students for their roles in the twenty-first century as citizens
of a world culture, educated through a truly human notion of the humanities.
As
a student I find it overwhelming to think that I am in fact participating in a
global community when editing Wikipedia entries. Gates’ suggestion is that
universities require students to take humanistic course in efforts of expanding
boundaries of social tolerance. It is human nature to be less likely to be open
to unfamiliar things. Mandating students to learn more about other cultures can
be useful in avoiding fallibility and creating non-offensive content. The more
aware students are of other culture the more direction they have in creating
discourse that invites more discourse to be created.
For
example, though not institutionally mandated, I participated in an
international program and lived in Spain for 5 months. The perspective I gained
from the experience has affected my work ethic and consideration for other
cultures in my arguments. I visited an Islamic country where women still face
suppression and lived in a country where quality of life came before
productivity.
It
is naïve to assume that Wikipedia authors come from a homogenous group. As the
population of educated individuals is exponentially diversifying the content
will also become more diverse. This is an amazing opportunity to gain knowledge
through perspective; the best part of all is that it can all be done in the
comfort of your own home or office.
