[WikiEN-l] Re: The integrity of Wikipedia

[Poor, Edmund W]

Theresa asked a very intelligent question:

> You don't think that people let preconceived ideas influence 
> how they remember things? Or how the interpret things? Or how 
> they report things?

Psychologists call this phenomenon a "mental filter". Probably no one is
immune to its effects. I certainly don't pretend to be.

Scientists who are earnestly and sincerely trying to discover what laws
govern the physical universe, are just about the only example of
"seekers after truth" that comes to mind. Unless you count Diogenes, who
roamed ancient Greece day after day holding a lantern while searching
for an "honest man".

The virtue of trying to find "what is really true" is essential for an
encyclopedia writer, but for practical reasons we have to report our
findings in NPOV format. This is hard, with so much going on, as Cat
Stevens once sang. Yet "It's harder to ignore it."

Ed Poor