On 6/22/05, David Gerard fun@thingy.apana.org.au wrote:
Jon (thagudearbh@yahoo.co.uk) [050622 04:49]:
In summary - the English and Welsh national curriculum requires children to be taught what BCE/CE means. The QCA continues and will continue to use BC/AD notation, which remains the form of notation used throughout the QCA's syllabuses. Wherever there have been attempts by a small number of teachers acting on their own initiative to require BCE/CE notation in UK, they have normally been met by an angry response.
Yep. As I said, the push for BCE/CE is essentially US POV-centric.
- d.
Most importantly, the whole BCE/CE thing is a POV lobby. It's nonsense to suggest that changing a very common phrase in the English language, hitherto used near-universally, is "neutral".
Now Wikipedia with NPOV policy certainly has to avoid siding with different POVs - but surely to use BCE/CE notation at all is indeed siding with a POV. Does every POV have to be accommodated on *some* articles in order to have NPOV?
Surely sticking to BC/AD, as has been used for centuries and centuries in the English language (almost certainly the vast majority using it without religious or political intent), is the most sensible option?
Wikipedia's ridiculous pandering to all the extremist POVs is not a good way to ensure NPOV in my opinion, and seriously dints its credability.
I suspect many have no idea how absurd it appears to a non-USian to see BCE/CE spreading across Wikipedia (and judging by the biases most prevalent among Wikipedians - it seems likely to continue to increase and be used in what is at the least, a disproportionate amount of articles).
HAH! NPOV? Wikipedia merely reflects the biases of its editors, both the majority and the minorities who push strongly for their POV.
Zoney
P.S. Long term, I cannot see how Wikipedia will avoid descending into anarchy. And unfortunately, I can see more of the current editors and admins choosing to leave (yes there are plenty more who will take over, but it's a bad way to do things).
I hope I'm proved wrong though - the content Wikipedia has collated to date is impressive in size, and a fine body of articles are very good quality too.
Slán go fóill.