[WikiEN-l] Talking to Jimmy Wales about discussion

[Thomas Dalton]

> Yes. You got my point.  Asking questions and debating and watching
> other people ask and debate is a crucial part of learning. Have you
> ever learned a subject by just reading an article?

No, certainly not. Learning involves far more than just reading an
encyclopaedia article, but Wikipedia's goal isn't to teach, it's to
create a free encyclopaedia. An encyclopaedia is a very useful tool in
learning, but it's not the end of the matter and never will be. If
there are relevant encyclopaedic facts that are missing from the
article, you can ask about them on the talk page or on the Reference
Desks. If your questions are very specific or are more about a
difficulty understanding the topic (and not just because the article
is poorly written - that you can suggest we fix) then you need to
consult an expert in whatever way is appropriate for the topic in
question (a question about your wife's breast cancer would be directed
at a doctor, a desire for a greater understanding of breast cancer
would involve enrolling in medical school (you could try a textbook
first, but they are often difficult to understand without the
necessary prior knowledge) - Wikipedia will never be a replacement for
those two options, even if we wanted it to be).