Ekopedia:Open-mindedness to other points of view
Multiplicity implies diverse points view co-exist without concession, contrary to neutrality. Multiplicité is necessary to evolution degrowth (sustainability).
First we don't all have the same reasons for wanting degrowth, and we must all combine our efforts to reach our goal. Besides, les cultural differences are a resource (and a non-polluting one too), we can't afford to waste or destroy.
This article explains an absolute Ekopedia rule : all points of view can freely be expressed.
[edit] Open-mindedness to other points of view according to Ekopedia founder
Ekopedia is meant to offer a coherent span of knowledge, expressed from various points of view. As far as possible, authors must try and remain impartial.
Open-mindedness means ideas must be presented in a way that'll be acceptable for defenders as well as for opponents. Of course it's not always easy to agree ; some ideologists will try to impose their view withour concession. What we want to do on Ekopedia is simply to abide by the norms of edition that can satisfy objective readers even when they don't agree.
Let's take an example :
- Stating that dough likes to be spoken to cannot do, even if the author believes it ; he must rather explain some people believe dough does and explain their reasons but also mention the opposite point of view.
- An author mustn't say direct democracy is the best social system but explain the arguments of those who adhere to the idea as well as of those who object to it.
Quite simply, the best attitude to be fair consists in writing one's own opinion without ever deleting other people's views. Every opinion has its place.
All the aspects of a controversial issue must be exposed so that the reader can make up his mind. This must be the one absolute line of conduct. To achieve this, there's no other way but to work together and collaborate to build objective articles. This is one of the reasons why Ekopedia is such an exciting project!
[edit] What do multiple and unbiased mean?
These are not easy questions and these words are often misunderstood. There can be several meanings to unbiased and multiple ; on Ekopedia, we consider an unbiased article will present controversial points of view without any prejudice.
Let's make things clear : presenting a controversial point of view without any prejudice can't mean the most accepted opinion can be presented as the correct one, even if other views have been developed.
In the same way, an unbiased style doesn't mean adopting an intermediate point of view as being the correct neutral one. It simply implies presenting all the points of view that can exist, which is an opportunity to analyze the issue and to sort out the reasons why such a category of people thinks so. The most common opinion is not necessarily the right one. A very detailed article will also interconnect diverse views so that each side can go deeper in their arguments without ever taking part for any.
On Ekopedia, the idea is that multiplicity implies there's not only one point of view and the author must be careful not to suggest that his own opinion is the right one.
By trying to present all the possible views on a given issue, we try to help the reader make up his own mind. Open-mindedness is a way of respecting the reader as being somebody who's quite capable of judging by himself. This, in itself, being but a point of view ;-)
