[Foundation-l] Wikiversity

Tue Aug 15 22:32:03 UTC 2006

We can develop Creationism instruction material as well as Science
instruction material, can't we? As long as we have interested parties?

On 8/15/06, Birgitte SB <birgitte_sb at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> --- Cormac Lawler <cormaggio at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > On 8/15/06, Birgitte SB <birgitte_sb at yahoo.com>
> > wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > > --- Jimmy Wales <jwales at wikia.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > > NPOV does apply to Wikiversity, but of course
> > > > context matters in how we
> > > > understand and apply it.
> > > >
> > > > For example, a course which is highly biased and
> > > > pushing some POV should
> > > > be fixed, as we would quite
> > > > properly consider it to be broken.
> > > >
> > > > But of course, as Cormac points out, some of
> > what
> > > > Wikiversity is going
> > > > to be about is explorations of
> > > > research, etc.  As Amgine put it, even here NPOV
> > > > applies, but it applies
> > > > in a way that makes sense for this
> > > > type of content.
> > > >
> > > > The danger of saying too quickly "NPOV does not
> > > > apply" is that we would
> > > > thereby open the door to lunatics
> > > > (and there are lunatics!) trying to push
> > extremely
> > > > biased courses.  We
> > > > can do better than that.
> > > >
> > > > --Jimbo
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > > I think everyone is not quite on the same page
> > here.
> > > Although neutrality is going to be an important
> > aspect
> > > of Wikiversity.  WP:NPOV is not going to be the
> > policy
> > > in use there.  Mainly this is becuse Wikiversity
> > is
> > > not writiing encyclopedia articles.  Bias will
> > take a
> > > subtley different form on that project.  Just like
> > > bias rears its' head on Wikisource in the form of
> > > altered texts.  I do not believe it was something
> > > people thought of early on at Wikisource, but it
> > is
> > > certainly what has transpired.  I am just trying
> > to
> > > guess as to how bias will try and work its way
> > into
> > > Wikiversity.  It may not be possible, we might
> > have to
> > > wait and find out when it happens.  WP:NPOV is
> > about
> > > how to counteract bias on WP.  I do not believe
> > anyone
> > > is suggesting counteracting bias at WV is not of
> > the
> > > utmost importance, just that WV will have approach
> > it
> > > in a unique way.
> > >
> > > Birgitte SB
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> > Yes, I think you've got me, Birgitte :-). I just
> > think that NPOV (as I
> > conceptualise it) is not a useful concept to apply
> > to Wikiversity.
> > Don't get me wrong - I wince just as much as anyone
> > if someone will
> > try to teach people that the world began 10,000
> > years ago ;-), but
> > surely the point of education is to try to get
> > people to think for
> > themselves? I see no problem with provocative, even
> > biased,
> > educational materials - so long as people are given
> > the wherewithal to
> > critically evaluate them. I think we need an analogy
> > to NPOV -
> > "completeness" sounds better, but just not catchy
> > enough :-)
> >
> > Cormac
> >
>
> Yes I agree and your response just sparked in my mind
> a very realistic example.  I always thought WV would
> find an audience developing homeschooling materials.
> Now in the US many people who homeschool do this
> because they do not like the lack of religion in
> public schools.  How will WV handle the develpoment of
> science teaching materials for homeschoolers which are
> based in "creationism"?
>
> Birgitte SB
>
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