 | This is anexplanatory essay about theWikipedia:Assume good faith andWikipedia:Don't bite the newcomers pages. This page provides additional information about concepts in the page(s) it supplements. This page is not one ofWikipedia's policies or guidelines as it has not beenthoroughly vetted by the community. |
 | This page in a nutshell: Assume that people don't know what they're doing before you assume bad faith. |
| “ | Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity. | ” |
| — Hanlon's razor | ||
Assuming good faith is a fundamental principle onWikipedia, but it generally isn't helpful when you get angry at someone who doesn't know how Wikipedia really works. Therefore, when an editor insists that what they're doing is an improvement when it isn't,assume no clue[1] before assuming bad faith.
Instead of assuming that fellow editors are out to harm the project and its ideals, assume that they don'tknow how they're contributing in a non-constructive way. Assuming no clue preserves sanity and helps communication: instead of accusing someone of harming the project, you can help them contribute constructively.