Jump to content

Factionalism

From Meta, a Wikimedia project coordination wiki

English (en) · français (fr) · português (pt) · +/−

Community
Anti-wiki
Conflict-driven view
False community
Wikiculture
Wikifaith
The Wiki process
The wiki way
Darwikinism
Power structure
Wikianarchism
Wikibureaucracy
Wikidemocratism
WikiDemocracy
Wikidespotism
Wikifederalism
Wikihierarchism
Wikimeritocracy
Wikindividualism
Wikioligarchism
Wikiplutocracy
Wikirepublicanism
Wikiscepticism
Wikitechnocracy
Collaboration
Antifactionalism
Factionalism
Social
Exopedianism
Mesopedianism
Metapedianism
Overall content structure
Transclusionism
Antitransclusionism
Categorism
Structurism
Encyclopedia standards
Deletionism
Delusionism
Exclusionism
Inclusionism
Precisionism
Precision-Skeptics
Notability
Essentialism
Incrementalism
Article length
Mergism
Separatism
Measuring accuracy
Eventualism
Immediatism
Miscellaneous
Antiovertranswikism
Mediawikianism
Post-Deletionism
Transwikism
Wikidynamism
Wikisecessionism
Redirectionism

Factionalism is an aspect of life itself. Each living cell is part of a faction - a liver cell is part of a liver, which is part of an endocrine system which is part of an organism. That organism in turn has factional interests that ally it with other organisms (like its own gut bacteria) against other organisms again. There is no escape from factions: you are made out of them.

For those who seek peaceful resolution of disputes "there is no alternative to multi-party representative democracy" - Les Campbell, The Democracy Project.

Factions, or parties, serve the purpose of making terminology describing issues and disputes simple enough for mass participation, and the pooling of a great number of people's ideas. A bureaucracy, which practices antifactionalism, always fails to be comprehensible to the layman, who always has the freshest perspective - thus only factions can bring the ability to compete, and other political virtues to bear.

Wikipedia is an inherently competitive process. Get used to it. Revel in your time. Prepare for edit wars of attrition. There is no community. All is content, forking off a static deliverable once in a while as the dynamic process continues (see eventualism).