2014/05/27 16:12:24
dubdisciple
http://library.blogs.delaware.gov/2013/05/05/is-wikipedia-a-reliable-source
2014/05/27 16:17:36
auto_da_fe
Small groups of appointed experts deciding what is and what isn't the truth ?
Large groups of self-appointed experts competing to establish what is and what isn't the truth ?
 
Do you trust the priest ?
Or the marketplace ?
 
As usual, somewhere in the middle yields a reasonable version of the truth.
 
2014/05/27 16:20:46
dubdisciple
I also find that other than minor nitpicking, the bashing of wiki as inaccurate is rarely accompanied by examples. I bet if we grabbed ten random topics and looked them up on Wikipedia they would be very general but for the most part right. Even minor errors are at a similar rate to Encyclopedia Britannica. Here is one of many studies confirming such:http://www.jimgiles.net/p...rnetEncyclopaedias.pdf
2014/05/27 16:24:43
dubdisciple
auto_da_fe
Small groups of appointed experts deciding what is and what isn't the truth ?
Large groups of self-appointed experts competing to establish what is and what isn't the truth ?
 
Do you trust the priest ?
Or the marketplace ?
 
As usual, somewhere in the middle yields a reasonable version of the truth.
 


That's exactly why anyone who would trust any form of encyclopedia as replacement for thorough research is delusional. Wikipedia is great for finding out the capitol of Tanzania and a general survey of general ethnic groups there but not a substitue for a history book or a well documented study of the country.
2014/05/27 16:38:37
drewfx1
auto_da_fe
Small groups of appointed experts deciding what is and what isn't the truth ?
Large groups of self-appointed experts competing to establish what is and what isn't the truth ?
 
Do you trust the priest ?
Or the marketplace ?
 
As usual, somewhere in the middle yields a reasonable version of the truth.
 

 
The idea that truth must lie somewhere in the middle is a blatant fallacy.
 
The truth lies where it lies. If one is incapable of determining where it lies based on the available credible evidence, or there is a lack of credible evidence, that simply means that one is incapable of knowing the truth to any meaningful degree.
2014/05/27 16:51:42
auto_da_fe
And if one is incapable of knowing the truth, then the truth will never set you free.
 
 
2014/05/27 16:56:48
craigb
Wait a minute...  Medical experts are saying that an alternative source of medical information is inaccurate?  Shocking! 
2014/05/27 17:05:30
dubdisciple
Truth is an overused word that seems to be used more to describe opions than facts. The extreme shift towards unrelenting partisan politics has muddied the word even more. Even "facts" about seemingly simple things like the habitats of particula species are often clouded by issues like pro animal groups vs business interests attempts to stear the facts towards their opinions.
2014/05/27 17:07:48
Rain
craigb
Wait a minute...  Medical experts are saying that an alternative source of medical information is inaccurate?  Shocking! 




Based on my own experience, and that of those around me, medical experts might as well be using Wiki... In my experience, 9 times out 10, they never could tell what was wrong.
 
I remember the last time I went and had to go back 5 days in a row for post-treatment. Of the 7 doctors I saw, not one had the same reaction and diagnosis. That's not counting the nurse who first saw me. Sometimes, they'd be reassuring, other times they'd react strangely and call in colleagues. One spooked me out.
 
That 6th one had me scared by saying that he couldn't do anything for me and sent me off to a different hospital to meet another doctor, w/o telling more. That 7th doctor, after a bunch of tests, told me that everything was alright if not for the fact that the first doctor I'd seen had done a poor job w/ the incision...
 
All that for a mere cyst - that is still there because they only drained it and never removed the actual cyst.
I say cross your fingers that you'll never be seriously sick and have to rely on them.
 
Things are a bit better this side of the border though...
2014/05/27 17:08:53
paulo
Rain
I remember at one point trying to correct/change a few details on the wiki about my wife, at her request, only to have most of the changes "fixed" by someone else a few hours later.
 
I guess they knew better...




That, or maybe there's some stuff she hasn't told you yet.......... ;)
© 2026 APG vNext Commercial Version 5.1

Use My Existing Forum Account

Use My Social Media Account