Wikipedia:Slippery slope
(Redirected from Wikipedia:SLIPPERYSLOPE)
 | This is an essay. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints. |
 | This page in a nutshell: Be careful with edge cases, but don't be afraid to act boldly when you've got an obvious case |
Wikipedia encourages bold editing. However, when editors disagree, boldness can often lead to edit warring or wheel warring. Often good faith editors fall into these traps because they fail to recognize the slow, but persistently increasing danger of a slippery slope. For example, editors are allowed to revert vandalism without limitation. But how does one determine if an edit is vandalism, or merely a mistake? Judgement is required, and there will always be some edge cases that could go either way. Editors need to recognize these edge cases and treat them conservatively. On the other hand, when there is a clearcut case, editors should still be free to take bold action.